KSR - 2025-04-08- KSR - Hour 1

Episode Date: April 8, 2025

Drew talks College Basketball and National Championship. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise. the drama, the alliances, and the T, everybody's talking about. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

What's up, fam, it's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season, and I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was funny. You just understood. That's how personal it got.

Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming till. He's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Comedy Up Broadway and Lexington welcomes Mike Armstrong, March 27 through the 29th.

Then it's the Lexington debut of Lori Kilmartin, April 3rd through the 5th. And Catch Rising Comedy stars Sam Talent, April 11th and 12th. Comedy Up Broadway opened in downtown Lexington in 19th, and they're still bringing the best and stand-up comedy to the area 38 years later. Call 859-271 joke or visit Comedyoff-Broadway.com. It's our listeners. A great morning, actually. Drew Franklin here.

I'm at K.S. Bar and Grill. I'll be here from 10 to noon. It's a busy, busy, busy, busy morning. Today's show we're brought to you by T.J. Smith, personal injury lawyer. Call T.J. He'll make a pay. We want to hear from you on the Clark's Pump and Show. I can't talk. Clark's Pumping Show.

shop phone line, 859-280-2-287. We'll get the Whiskey Thief call of the day. We'll get the A-Vision Auto Glass text of the day. If you send it to Amsterdam, I don't have that. But Matt's in Amsterdam with all the guys on vacation. I'm here hosting the show. I have Jack Pilgrim, Stephen Peake with me,

and we're a little flustered because right as the show started, we had some breaking news. Hit the button, Rick. Ladies and gentlemen of the Big Blue Nation, as of about five minutes ago, Jaden Quintence, a projected top 10 pick in the 20 26 NBA draft has committed to your University of Kentucky Wildcats. Boys, how about that?

Jack, you're smiling. Just so everyone knows Jack was working the phones as I was doing that intro. That's why I was a little flustered, making sure everything's good. Maybe even try to get them on the show later, but it is a, this is a busy scene here at KS. Barr right away, Jack Pilgrim, but we're starting off with huge news. Throw away the NCAA championship. We'll get to that later. One shodding moment.

We'll get to that later. Mark Pope added another player at the final second before we saw. started the show, and he's a big one. A former commit under John Cala Perry at Kentucky. He even considered sticking around after Cal left, but he ended up at Arizona State last season for his freshman year. Suffered a torn ACL in February, but he's expected to still be back maybe on time, maybe a little bit late next season. Whatever happens with that, I think it is still an amazing get. I'm so flustered right now. Yeah, you were on the phone as I was doing my intro. That's why I was fumbling over my words. I had to hang up because

I heard the intro music and was like, oh, crap, I don't want to get hot miced right now. But Mark Pope lands his biggest fish yet. Like we, so much about, like, you know, he needs to, can he land a high, high profile blue-chipped, top five true recruit. And, you know, some misses along the way and, you know, some striking out on some high-profile transfer targets. And, you know, that's always just kind of been lingering in the back of BBN's mind of, you know, can he close on a true. legitimate talent and Jayden Quaintens is that guy. He wanted to be here the first cycle. In fact, it was funny now that I can kind of tell the story. Exactly one year ago today, I was the one that had to call Jayden's dad at 1145 at night and say, hey, is John Caliperi leaving for Arkansas?

And he said, what are you talking about? I haven't heard anything to suggest that. So funny, here we are exactly one year ago to the day as we were waking up this time. last year wondering what our future look like and if Jaden was going to be a part of that now we know he's going to be a part of that and it's it's pretty darn good incredible addition let me let me set us back up that was jack a lot of you know jack from sources say he's hosted this show many times feels like a good time to have you on almost want to say i knew this was going to happen that's why i picked you to do today we'll get to that had another commitment yesterday of course uh the college basketball season ended last night but we also have stephen peek here uh Stephen is ksr's videographer um he does some on camera

stuff on KSR's YouTube channel, but a lot of time he's behind the camera when Jack and I are doing our rapid reactions. He does travel videos with Jack. Goes to all the interviews, pretty much anything you've seen on KSR's YouTube channel. Stephen's the one that made it happen. Stephen, how's it feel to be on the radio show for the first time? Yeah, first time. Pretty special. I've been listening to this show since 2011. So, I mean, this is a pretty big day for me. I'm not going to lie. I'm really excited about it. Pretty unique circumstances getting that commitment right away. Right out of the gate. I mean, I think we need to have me on more often. Yeah, both of you. Or at least schedule it. Yeah. Certainly while we're looking at players.

Pretty big day for Kentucky basketball. So Jack, what does this, what does this mean? All right? So I mentioned that he had the ACL injury, suffered that in February. But, you know, I'm not a doctor, but the internet and webmd tells me ACLs aren't what they were 20 years ago. You can bounce back from those a little quicker, recover a little better. I see some fans already trying to throw it aside, you know, complaining that this is a guy that coming off an injury. I mean, this is a top 10 lottery pick. Come on, people. What are we doing? We can't be happy. We just can't be a happy will you please give everyone some comfort at home that is worried about him coming off that injury and just what he can potentially be when he gets back to full speed? Yeah, doctors are very optimistic

that, you know, I don't think anyone is making a promise that he will be ready for day one of the college basketball season. That's the goal. That's the hope. That's the plan. But I think they just kind of acknowledge that, hey, it's, you know, ACL surgery mid-March. Turn around on that is pretty quick, but I think people are kind of losing sight of the fact that, you know, this is a big man coming off a torn ACL. Yes, he is a projected top five pick, but he also has to prove that he is a top five pick. And I think everybody around this kid wants him to be able to prove that he is that, because I think there will be NBA teams that have doubts about that. So yeah, I think there is a lot of optimism about him. Let's just, let's just pencil him in

the early stages of the next college basketball season that he will be playing for Kentucky. But the positives before he got hurt last year at Arizona State, 10 points a game, eight rebounds, 2.6 blocks. When he committed to Kentucky, you know, he seemed to really, really love Lexington. He was even introduced at Rupp Arena for a game. They brought him out at halftime. He gave us a big wave. Then, of course, the coaching change happens.

He reopens his recruitment and ends up at Arizona State. I think he did well for himself making that commitment there heading out that direction. I think they paid him pretty well. But now heading back to be a cat. And the word around him, and you've been talking to the family, he seems to really like Pope's system and might even got him at a discount just because he really likes the fit here and wants to be a part of Big Blue Nation again. Yeah, and I think that was a big part of it is just watching what Amari Williams did this this past season and just knowing like, hey, if this kid from Drexel can come in and do what he did and just elevate his, you know, pro stock, whether he's drafted or not. He has carved out a legitimate pro career because of how he played in Mark Pope's system. And they saw that and just like, man, imagine a legitimate pro playing in that system and that same role, bringing the ball up the floor, making decisions, you know, having just the flexibility to kind of be the straw that stirs the drink in, you know, the biggest brand in college basketball. That was really, really appealing. I think they understand. I think they realized what they were missing going to Arizona State kind of being out of sight out of mind where the highlights are unbelievable. The numbers were unbelievable.

Blocks, rebounds, steals. I mean, he's kind of one of just those do-it-all threats. But he was kind of, you know, lost the national spotlight. I think they loved what that was as a recruit, and I think they wanted to get that back and what is absolutely his final season of college basketball. So any critics, you know, saying Pope can't get a big time talent. I mean, let's say this goes best case in there, and he has a good year.

ESPN.com right now has him projected fifth overall to the rafters. Raptors. Maybe we'll put him in the Raptors. He's going to be in the BATRS. Let's do both. Rafters and Raptors. But that's one thing, another box Pope needed to check that he can go out and get a lottery pick, you know, Caleb Wilson, you're in the conversation, missed that, not looking good for Nate Amen, two of the guys that are kind of projected in that area.

But, I mean, what could this be for Pope if it really pans out that way? It's the proof of product. It's an ability to say, hey, we know he can do it with, you know, good college basketball players. He can do it with portal talent. But what can he do with a legitimate superstar? What does it look like when Mark Pope can, you know, get a, especially a superstar, it's kind of just a piece of clay that he can kind of mold and turn into this.

I mean, he's a big piece of clay. He's 17 years old and already put up historic numbers, especially on the defensive end as an all defensive team. Remember his debut season at Arizona State. So it's one of those deals where if this works out, this is a high risk, high reward, but absolutely lucrative long-term reward from Mark Pope on the recruiting trail. I think that's why having the season they had this year was massive because it allows you to get a guy like Jaden. And I mean, just to win the games, they were able to win,

you saw Amari Williams' growth throughout the season. And, I mean, I'm excited to see what Pope's going to be able to do with Jane Quinn's because the raw talent is there. Heck yeah. And Jack, you were kind of report. Not kind of. You were reporting this was ahead last night on KS board. Another reason to get on KS board, KSR Plus.

But you were following it very closely. And is Auburn the official second place finisher? It sounded like he was down to Kentucky Auburn, which, as someone who's petty, that just feels good to me, too, given Bruce Pearl and L. Bruce is getting pretty desperate down there at Auburn. I worried he might overpay and we'd have to see quaintance in the conference. That would have been the worst, him having a big, huge season and doing it for Auburn. But it sounds like, you know, Pope got one over on Bruce here and winning this recruitment.

It really does feel like his first high school recruitment where Kentucky kind of solidified itself is the favorite, you know, the likely landing spot down the stretch. Then Missouri kind of came in last second, just kind of made them just think one extra second about it. And I think that was where Auburn was where. I was told that he was actually ready to commit two nights ago. And like those early conversations went really, really well with Mark Pope. They kind of had a not a great relationship after, you know, when Mark Pope first got the job, I think there was some, you know, Mark Pope not wanting to get some of Cal's leftovers and kind of wanting to just start fresh with his own players.

And I think they kind of gave him grief for that to start the process and be like, hey, you didn't want us last time. But now, oh, now you want us. where you know, one of your most important recruits. So I think that relationship kind of started off. They had some history together and they were able to very quickly fix that. And I think it was one of those deals where Bruce Pearl made the phone call and was just trying to see where things stood with Kentucky as the heavy favorite,

kind of even things up. And then Mark Pope jumped back up and did a masterful job closing this one. So eat it, Bruce. Put that in your barbecue. Eat it Kentucky naysayers. Huge gift for the cats. How does this fit with, you know, Brandon Garrison, Marino, you know, we thought they'd go shooter in this next commitment.

Not really a shooter, but a generational talent, you're not turning down. But how will that kind of shake up with the pieces they already had there? It's now the ball is in Brandon's court to decide, hey, do you want to still be a part of this? There's the fit. They still want him. It's definitely not like a sign that, you know, we're going to get some type of portal announcement from Garrison. I think it's one of those deals where, you know, he has to decide. Mark Pope, it's in his best interest to build the most talented national title contending roster that he can.

And I think, you know, if whatever the remaining dominoes that fall after that, so be it. But it's my read on it is that it is joining forces with the guys they have all five of the guys they plan on bringing back right now. That it's an addition, not a replacement. Well, you mentioned domino's falling. I thought we'd be talking about a different domino because he wasn't the only commitment we've added since last time I was here talking to you on KSR. Also took Muhammad Dubate from Alabama yesterday. Another forward, similar in how he brings defense and some rebounding, but a little bit shorter than Quaitance.

How will he fit into this equation? If you can't beat him, take him. I think that was Mark Popes. He was tired of, we saw this actually. Funny, we bring up Brandon Garrison. Like, Bernard Garrison torched BYU and Mark Pope's first year in the Big 12, and he said, I'm not having any of that. I'm going to have him be a part of what we're doing.

Very similar situation where three times, three losses. and he was always kind of the thorn in Kentucky side and all three of those losses. The second one, even though he only scored four points, held Otega O'A to one for nine shooting, his first game in single figures as a wildcat. So just a do-it-all defensive threat, a guy that you just kind of plug in and say,

hey, we need a big stop. We need a big finish and transition. We need somebody to pull down a tough rebound. He's just kind of, how many times this past season did we say, where's the physicality? Why is nobody there for the offensive rebound? We're missing something. Who's diving for the loose balls?

That is Modiabate. That's exactly what this program needed. And he fills a very clear need for Mark Pope that was very clearly missing from last year's roster. And we have a lot more to say about him. You know, he was going to be the headliner until acquaintance drops at the last second before we started the show. We'll take a break and talk more about that in the roster breakdown. Also, we're going to be joined by Kentucky women's basketballs Tiani Key. She's going to drop in before she heads to class.

We've been talking a lot about the men's team. We never really closed the book on the women's season. It's nice of her to stop by. She had a great breakout year with the cats, and she'll be back next year, so we'll talk to her about what's going on over there and her excitement for next season. Phoenix Stevens is here.

He'll also jump in on the women's basketball discussion, but we got the Diabate, the acquaintance commitments, Kentucky's roster shaking out, more portal targets. There was an NCAA champion last night. Kentucky was on one shining moment. It's a busy, busy morning here on KSR. I'm Drew Franklin, filling in for Matt Jones,

filling in for Ryan Lemon, filling in for Shannon the dude. filling in from Mario Maitland. Everybody's gone, but I'm happy to have Jack Pilgrim and Stephen Peake here. They made the trip to join me at KS. Bar. And we're going to talk a lot of basketball today, a whole lot of basketball. We want to hear from you if you have any questions. Again, on the Clark's Pump and Shop phone line. That's 859-280-2287. We'd love to hear from you. I left a lot of people on hold yesterday as Corey Price was dropping knowledge, but we'll run through the phone lines today as there's some excitement as the roster is really shaken up.

and there's even been some, those way too early rankings that look good for Kentucky, if you trust those opinions. But for right now, we'll take a quick break and we'll be right back. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs,

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Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up guys? this is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, the Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff.

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This is Help from a Hypocrat, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coultera podcast network available on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This mental health awareness month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and return. to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land

while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to Deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Welcome back to KSR. Drew Franklin here with Jack Pilgrim, Stephen Peek. We are living the office meme where he's, what is he? Oh my God, it's happening. We're just running around with our hands in the air as this place is on fire with news and

excitement as Jaden Quentin's made the commitment. We're still efforting getting Jaden on the phone later. We're hopeful, but it wasn't a firm yes. Jack, you spoke to his dad, I guess, is it, we're looking decent there? Top of the hour. Top of the hour. We'll just, you know, pencil it in. Understandably so.

He's a busy man this morning. Even probably is good for us right now. He's going to be at rehab in an hour for fans that are, for fans that are wanting to know how is he doing on schedule within? In an hour from now, he will be at the doctor getting a check up. And the last thing we want to do is interrupt rehab because the KSR hater, will say we're trying to hurt Kentucky basketball by keeping him from fixing his knee. Still a great commit, but we got to keep giving Diabate his flower. 6'7, 215 pound forward from Alabama with two years left.

Big defense guy, big rebounding guy, big toughness guy, a lot of what UK lacked. Unfortunately, we remember him well for shutting down Otega Owe, which at the time we hated that game in Tuscaloosa. He helped hold Oway to two points the first game of the season when Oway didn't have double digits. wasn't a big fan of him then but Jack now it's a piece just another good piece that Pope needed

and more excitement around the roster I remember just this time last year talking about Lamont Butler when everybody was like oh well look at his stats he only averaged nine points a game and he shot 60% from the free throw line like how is that a guy it's like he just wins

like we don't need to get into the you know counting stats and looking at box scores and going oh well he only had this he wins games he's he's a tough gritty hard nose physical guy that every team in college basketball needs There's a reason why Alabama fans are heartbroken to see him leave. Like that that was a fan favorite, a guy that they really kind of, you know,

wanted to be a long-term piece, a core piece under Nate Oates. He wanted an expanded role. He wanted to be a part of something bigger and you'd be a greater part of that. So I think it's a great fit for Kentucky. And, you know, I always gauge the opposing fan base. If they're celebrating his departure, you go, I don't know if I love that. They're heartbroken that he's a Kentucky Wildcat. And for that, I'm very happy.

And he kind of split his time at the 3 and 4 there. They were crowded there at Forward. Grant Nelson was a big gift for them. He had a big year. How do you see him fitting into the rotation at Kentucky now, especially Ed McQuent's, who will also be playing a little 4 and 5? He's just kind of a plug-in-play, do-it-all kind of guy. If you need him at the 3, you know, spot minutes of the 3,

if you need him at the 4, you know, he's kind of a, you know, plays bigger than his body. And I, you know, could do some small ball 5 stuff to just throw him in and just see what happens. I'd envision him playing, you know, 23, 20. I think that's the beauty of Mark Pope's system where whether he's starting or coming off the bench, he's going to play 20 to 25 minutes a game in a pretty expanded role. So, yeah, I don't know if we want to pencil him in for any specific starting role, but probably starting at the four, but I don't think that's necessarily locked him, but more so the role that he's going to play is pretty hard.

It's the toughness they needed. There were many times last season where there'd be a loose ball and we're yelling. Someone jump on that or a rebound, go get that. He's that type of guy. And Stephen, he's another lefty. There we go. We're up to four lefties. We are loaded with lefties on this team.

I love talking with our Brandon Ramsey, another KSR guy, who says that that's worth like a couple points because the defender will typically just jump the right hand because that's how they're used to everybody else is right-handed. So that sounds like we're getting a lot of points. I don't know. I mean, it has to be the most left-handed team in Kentucky basketball history. We talked about it in our rapid reaction. I think the only team that compares is the one with James Young, Julia.

Randall that Jared Poulson Jared Burson and who was the one that was Sam alone I think Sam alone was he lefty and it's like another Southball are we really throwing him in the mix but yeah but that's the only team that has been comparable to to this lefty bad miss they you know you look at the roster right now it looks really good I think there's like one maybe one piece like a good or like a cope because somebody to replace Kobe Brea Jack how do you feel about Yates and where things stand with that I I have I have heard the Washington noise. I know that that's kind of looming in the back of BBN's mind,

but like, for the last 24 hours or so, there's a lot of private Kentucky buzz that has me feeling really good. It's all about relationships. It's all about, you know, years back, you know, talk conversations and being able to as, hey, remember when I first recruited you at a high school, that's where Alvin Brooks comes in. That's where McAle McLean comes in, two local Texas guys that are doing a lot of the heavy lifting in that one that, yes, I know that they, There's some, you know, public intrigue with the whole Quincy Pondexter assistant coach. You know, is he going to go back to Washington and would Wesley Yates follow? Through all of that very public noise, there's a lot of private momentum for the Kentucky Wildcats.

And that would wrap up, in my opinion, a national championship contending roster. Wow. Man. We'll spend a lot of the show breaking down the roster further and Jack's national championship pick. But our special guest, Tiani Kee, just walked in. She has to get to class in a little bit. So I'm going to bring on Phoenix Stevens, who covers Kentucky women's basketball for the rest of this, or covers Kentucky basketball, and I'm bringing them on for the rest of the segment

before we interview Tiani and let her get to class. I know it's weird to just move from this big excitement of the roster over to the women's sport, but they had a big year or two, Stephen, and you're right in the middle of it as our beat reporter. How did it feel to cover a team that took over a 12-and-20 program and goes and wins 23 games and has the year that they did? Well, I've got to say, Stephen here, our videographer, does a great job, but my name is Phoenix, Drew. I do that every time.

It's the P Stevens, KSR. If y'all can't tell I'm a little flustered by all the chaos that's been going on. Phoenix Stevens, where did I say, Stephen Phoenix? Just said Steve, but you never know when the dominoes are going to fall. I was ready to jump in. I was a great year for Kentucky women's basketball. And, you know, obviously a lot of things happened, you know, throughout the season. You had some injuries before the season.

You know, you never know really how things are going to go for the team, especially with two great players like that being hurt. You know, how are they going to make the mold fit? but they had a great year. And so far, transfer portal is doing really good, got a really good commitment from Josie Guilvin,

a nice player there. But things are looking good, looking positive, should be on the upward trend. It might be awkward because she's sitting right in front of us, but I noticed yesterday you wrote a story about Tiani Key,

not even knowing that she was going to be on the guest on the show today. So it just kind of summarized that, and then we'll, of course, get to talk to her in just a minute. Yeah, of course, yeah, like you said, I had no idea this was all happening today. But, yeah, Tiani, you know,

I wrote that yesterday. She had a really good junior year. And to me, you know, maybe she'll say otherwise. I thought it was kind of refreshing to watch because her first two years in North Carolina, you know, there's injury, just things going on. And finally, you know, and a fresh start at Kentucky was able to really get going. Had this really great junior year, but I think next year her senior year, Drew could be a really big jump for her, you know, time for her to take the next step,

maybe be an all-SCC type player. Kentucky can take a big next step too. I mean, you lose George A. Moore and Deja Lawrence, two special players at guard, but still some returning pieces, and that you witnessed it all. You were at all the games. That excitement was high around Memorial, historic Memorial this season. Right. Historic Memorial Coliseum is what they want to call it now.

But, yeah, the excitement is great, and, of course, you have to replace Georgia. Or it's hard to even say replace Georgia. I mean, two-time All-American did the, you know, absolutely incredible here in her lone season at Kentucky. But, yeah, you try to replace Georgia Amor and Dacia Lawrence and some of the players that hit the portal. But, you know, Josie Guilvin's a good start. you have a lot of more commitments, you know, potentially lining up some really good players that they've contacted, you know, it's kind of like the men's side. You don't know like they contact how strong are they actually in the mix there, but a lot of positive steam for the women's program and things should be moving forward. Awesome. Phoenix, I'm going to stop calling you, Stephen. You sitting next to Stephen is going to mess with me all day.

But I like your McLean County hat. Right, yeah, Western Kentucky after the McLean County. We're going to take a break here, bring Tiani in so we can talk to her for a few months. minutes before she heads to class. You know, they're student athletes. They got to get to class. And then we're going to get right back to the excitement of the men's basketball roster. Still more portal movement, still shopping around. Jack still thinks we're going to win the national championship. So Drew here with Jack, Stephen, Phoenix, and soon to be Tiani Key as we fill in for the KSR guys. They're all on vacation. Matt's gone, Ryan's gone, Shannon's gone, Mario's gone,

but we're still having a lot of fun here on KSR. We'll get to the phone lines as well. the Clark's Pompetshop phone line 280-2287. Right now, we'll take a quick break, and we'll be right back with Tiani Key. I am not Matt Jones. I am Drew Franklin filling in for Matt Jones with my good friend Jack Pilgrim, Stephen Peek, and Phoenix Stevens. And we are now happy to be joined by our special guests. She is one of the breakout stars of Kentucky women's basketball's breakout season.

She averaged 11.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks for game. She is Tiani Key, and she is joining us now. Tiani, welcome to KSR. Thanks for having me. You know, I know the goal was still to be playing basketball last season, but you still had a great first year at Kentucky and Kenny Brooks' first season. How did it feel to be a part of that big turnaround in Lexington that brought so much excitement to historic memorial?

It was surreal. It was huge just because of what we were able to accomplish was such a quick turnaround, knowing each other for less than a year. It was a super special year for us, and I think it was a great foundation for what is going keep building here in Kentucky. Your career got off to a little bit slower start. You had the ACL injury before your freshman year at North Carolina, had a couple of years coming back. But from a distance, it felt like a big breakout year for you with 12 double doubles. Did you feel like you really found your confidence at Kentucky and really turned things on this last season? Oh, yeah, for sure.

It was obviously the best year yet, I think especially off the court too. Everything was just great, just being able to be given the opportunity to get out there and just showcase my abilities and be with the coaching staff and help everyone on the team and then also with the coaching staff like with the developmental piece that was it was huge the summer this past summer as well Kentucky lacks some height for many years till Brooks got here but then you know you Claire Strach Amelia called you the triplets said you are like interchangeable inside all the way rebound block shots even said you all had a special bond was there a special bond between you all that kind of add to some competitiveness in practice what was it like playing that role

oh yeah it was no it was huge it was huge it was it made everything a lot more more fun, especially like in practice, like you said, going at each other. Just, you know, iron sharpens iron. So just learning from each other and then going at each other was huge. Even off the court, it was really special too. We all got along pretty well. Tiani, I thought it was fitting you came on today because like Drew said, I wrote that article about you yesterday.

And I was just curious because, you know, after the season, I know coaches a lot of times like to have conversations with players, you know, what I want to see from you next year? Has there been that conversation with Coach Brooks yet? And if so, you know, what are the kind of things he wants to see from you your senior season. Oh yeah, absolutely. We've had that conversation the day after the game, our last game. Basically, it was just, you know, just focusing on sharpening everything that, yeah, there was the growth this year. It was a good season, but there's so much more that we

need to work on so much more they need to get better. So I think just focusing on like sharpening the all-around skill set on the court and then just strength purposes, getting a little, put in a little pound. So, yeah. One of my favorite stats is as a team you all led the country in blocks, but you You and Clara Strack average 4.1 blocks just between the two of you per game, and that was more than 300 Division I basketball teams. Do you get into rhythm-blocking shots, and when are our opponent's going to stop bringing this weak stuff inside? Listen, I don't think they'll stop.

They obviously haven't learned. But I think it was huge just because, like you said, earlier, we're all interchangeable. So, like, if one of us is out on the perimeter or something like that, knowing somebody's got your back, you know, it just allows us to play more connected, more together and be more aggressive defensively. So I think it was huge. It was a big part of us. And you were ranked seventh in the SEC, 8.1 rebounds per game.

With rebound, is that more effort, technique? You know, walk us through the strategy of how you're able to rebound so well with that prowess. It's a little bit of both. I'm telling you, you got to work for them for sure. Nothing comes easy. Obviously, there's a lot of good rebounders in the SEC. So I think it's just a lot of positioning. And then mostly effort, really, like, just going to get it and get your hands on it

and being strong with it because there's a lot of bigs battling down there for sure. Oh, yeah. What feels better? Blocking a shot or getting an offensive rebound to keep the possession of life? Oh, that's a good question. That's a tough one. I'd say there's nothing like a block and a shot, though. You know, it really gets everybody going, the whole team really. Now, Tiani, Drew and I, we're both big Tennessee haters. You know, as big as we are, we're massive Tennessee haters. Now, I want to preface this by saying your sister Tamari played at Tennessee. I just want to ask, when you all beat them by a million earlier this season, you know was there was there any friendly banter between the two of you or you know what you know

was her sulking and the sadness good enough for you um no i was i was pretty humble about it i was i was i was pretty nice but um no it was it was fun um seeing seeing her reaction though just i mean that game was fun too just um it was it was funny because we were the week before trying to decide like we kept talking her like what are you wearing where you sitting and she didn't know and i was like girl just put on blue like come on she did she had a hat that was blue orange. So a little bit, but still, the win was good enough for me for sure. Tiani, we're talking about rivals. Just the Louisville rivalry means so much to this area. Being a part of that and, you know, just how exciting that one was. What was that experience like for you? Oh, it was huge. It was really

fun. I think that was like our first big, big matchup, really. So just seeing all of us come together in like a hard-fought game like that, it was a huge push for momentum for our season. It was amazing. The rivalry is pretty good. That was one of your best games of the season, 17 points. non-re bounds. When you have a big game like that, how much better does it feel knowing it's against a rival team? No, it was huge. It was definitely a good start to the rivalry. I'm excited for the next one. Now, Drew is actually, you know, Drew met. They've had Georgia Amor on this show multiple times. I was just curious. What's it like playing with her, you know, and her one season Lexington? I mean, great talent, obviously great on the show. What was it like being around Georgia Amor?

She's unreal, like one of a kind, truly like a generational talent person. She's amazing. So it was honestly so grateful. It was such a blessing to be around her. Just even off the court learning from her on the core, her work ethic, like she's a phenomenal person. So it was super. The two times we had her sitting up here with us, she was really funny. I think she was going to take all of our jobs. I know she's obviously very serious and competitive to get to where she is. But what does she like behind the scenes? Is she cutting up a little bit? Oh, absolutely. Georgia is always cracking jokes. She's one of the funniest people I've ever met. She's got like a slick little band to her to her. It's fun.

She's hilarious. What's one of your favorite off-the-court memories with your teammates this season? Whether just be out having fun or... Yeah, so when we first got here, like in the summer, there wasn't much to do, so we all decided to go to karaoke. This was, like, the one big thing we'd done together. It was hilarious. Everybody was laughing.

It was a great time, and we are horrible singers, so it made it even better. Did you do the group thing? What's your go-to karaoke song? Ooh, I think, I did, me and Amelia, we did one together. It was a sexy red song. So you didn't do solo performances. You got up there with your teammates. Oh, yeah, and it made it so much better because we were like going off each other.

It was great. Phoenix mentioned your sister, Tennessee Vol, which we'll live with that. But what kind of impact did she have on your career and getting you to this point, being a little bit older than you? Oh, yeah, she was huge. Like, you know, she really paved the way just like just showing me like, what it takes to get there and be successful at such a high level. She was a huge piece.

Now, Tiana, we spend a lot of time talking about Coach Brooks, and rightfully so, he's done a great job here. But I think the assistants deserve a little bit of love too. Coach Josh Peterson, I know he works with you directly. What's it been like working with him kind of day in and day out? Amazing. He brings such a, like, a refreshing energy and just always reminding me that, like, you know, have gratitude and stuff like that. So he's a great, great person.

It's been such a great year working with him and learning from him. And just every day has been really, really good. We mentioned Georgia, her and Dacia Lawrence, losing two great leaders there. You had a big role last year, but do you see yourself stepping into more of a leadership role to kind of help fill those shoes? Oh, absolutely. Just being like now, like you said, in my senior year, I think it'll be a huge piece. Just being able to lead and, you know, having a year under my belt under the coaching staff, I think it'll be huge for all the people that we bring in, freshman included.

What's something you want to check off your bucket list before your college career ends? Still got some time left, but what's the main goal? I want to get a ring for sure. It would be SEC, national title, both. I think that'll be a huge piece. That's definitely a goal. What do you think you and maybe the team will need to do to kind of take that next step? You already took a huge step for the program in your first year here with Kenny Brooks' first year.

But what do you think needs to happen to go next? Maybe something you're working on in particularly or any pieces you need to add? Yeah, I think definitely just firing on all cylinders, just being more consistent. I think is something that I'm definitely focusing on. Just, you know, all the little things, I think some of those games we lost, the little things are what separated them and us. So I think that will be a huge focus this year, especially as we bring in a lot of new faces. What class are we keeping you from right now?

I notice you said we could take our time. It's a sponsorship class, a sales and sponsorship class. It's, yeah, it's fine. Maybe learn a few NIL things in there. Right, yeah, no, it's been a cool class. Well, we appreciate you joining us today. It's been great to talk to you. It's fun watching you last season.

Love having you as a cat. Thank you, thank you. Got you out of North Carolina where you need to be here. Keep you away from Tennessee where your sister went. It's been a pleasure watching you through one year in Kentucky, and can't wait to see what you have next, and we appreciate you being on with us today. Thanks for having me. It's been great.

Thanks a lot. All right, guys. We'll take a quick break here. Do we need a break? We got a call, Rick. What's going on? We've got calls, and we can take a break. Let's go and take a quick break.

We've got to reset. I think Jack has locked in, maybe more acquaintance news. So he's working the phone here. We'll keep Phoenix on for a few more minutes. But thanks again, it's Gianni Key. We'll be right back after this quick break. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

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We're going to get back to the men's team's roster updates, portal shopping. We still haven't even mentioned the National Championship. game last night. I thought I'd lead with that, but we've had a lot going on. Before we keep going, let me tell you about UK Federal Credit Union. This segment's brought to you by them. UKFCU wants you to reach your savings goals in 2025. Open a high-yield savings account, earn as high as 4% APY on your savings. Upgrade your piggy bank in 2025 by earning almost 10 times the national average savings rate. Net yourself bigger savings this basketball season and earn up to 4% from the official credit union of the University of Kentucky. Visit UKFCU.org or

visit one of your seven local branches to open a high yield savings account to date. APY annual percentage yield, minimum 1,000 to open a high yield savings account, membership eligibility required, federally insured by NCUA. Before we get Phoenix out of here, what did you think of that Tiani Key interview? Like I said, you wrote a story about her yesterday and then who you are talking to her on the show. Yeah, Tiani's always, she's always been great on the mic in front of the camera. I remember we didn't like kind of, I think it was when, trying to think, heading into the Liberty game, the NCAA tournament.

but we did like locker room interviews with them and she was great she was awesome so no surprise having tiani on the radio she does a great job with the interview there really like how she you know was like to tomorrow you're wearing blue gosh darn it oh yeah you know i don't care if you went to tennessee wearing blue i like that's got to be a fun rivalry for those two i'm glad uh she she picked the right side in that yeah of course we don't really like them either but north carolina native she was a all-american in high school i was a big get with kentucky got her and then she followed through last season had a great year and i think there's still a lot more head. It was fun to hear from her. Jack, where are we? We still efforting the phone lines

on our, on our boy, Jaden? 11 a.m. Is it confirmed? Jaden Quaintz will be on KSR at the top of the hour. Look at, look at us just getting it done. You know, Matt, Ryan, Shannon, they're not going to come back and not have a job. I'm worried about it. That's a goal. I mean, the moment we took over the mics, the portal, we started getting some movement with the roster. Last week, it was all speculation, and the sky's falling. Now it's all coming together. We'll be up to 12, 11 as things stand today 12 pieces like i mean i think of where we were last week of the panic and just oh my sky is falling mark pope can't close like the roster's done like you add one more piece and it's like okay let's roll the balls out you know now now we have months to kill with talking points now we're

like okay well now what so expectations now have have risen dramatically i mean i feel like this year there was a lot of uh he had only a few weeks to put together a team. There's a lot of, there's injuries, there's stuff like that. This year I feel like expectations are go right back to where Kentucky's got to get a one seat again. We haven't had a one seat since 2015. We have to get one of those top four seats. It has to happen. If it doesn't happen next year, like it's got to happen soon because that's the longest drought in school history by like four years. I got to bring the mood down. I'm just saying like this this team has to, we have to get back to that. You look at who wins national championships. It's since like 2010,

it's been all one seeds or Yukon or Villanova won at the buzzer. So if you're going to, the goal of Kentucky is to win the national title. That is the goal, right? I mean, it's not like the expectation every year, but it is the goal. This is a good year to prove that one seeds can make it far with all them in the Final Four. Right, right. That's happened, what, one other, well, twice.

2008, I think. But yeah, but if you are a one seed, you are, there's a like 40% chance of getting to the final four, highest than all the other seats, obviously. but this is the kind of roster, Jack, wouldn't you say that that could absolutely do that? A lot of the flaws that last year's team did, like, they were masked with good coaching and, you know, shot making and kind of just raw skill allowed for the, you know, the floor to be a lot higher than maybe it probably should have been. But with the pieces they have added, you can say truly that the ceiling has been. elevated as well. We're like you, obviously we're Kentucky fans. We wanted to dream big and say this is, you know, Kentucky goes to the final four every single year and all that. But when Pope built

last year's roster, you went into it saying, hey, a sweet 16 would be a really awesome year for this just to get the monkey off our back with the first weekend and all that stuff. There's a lot that just kind of went into just getting some of the old demons out more than anything. But if you look at this roster, assuming you can add somebody like Wesley Yates, to fill that, you know, sharpshooting role replacing Kobe Brea. Like, you can look at this roster saying there's no reason why this team can't go to a final four. And I think that's what Kentucky fans need. Rick, we better get to some phone calls.

I've left them on hold for a while, which I promised I wouldn't do. But it's been very newsy, and we had Tiani Key. So let's go to the Clark's Pump and Shop phone line. Who's up first? Okay, got Rusty up first. Rusty, thanks for waiting. What's up? Hey, Drew, Jack.

Stephen. Hey, got a question. And so last year, you know, we kind of had the same situation without Jaden, obviously. We're all very positive. But what it ended up being is the hard games were won by defense, Gonzaga, Duke, things like that. So, Jack, I guess this is for you. What is our main focus with the current roster if nobody changes? We don't get anybody else.

Like, who is our defensive guy? Who's our Lamont Butler on this team? So I'll hang up and listen. Thanks. We appreciate the call. It's a great question. Jaden Quaintens had one of the best block rates, a historic block rate for his age. It's 17 years old playing rookie college basketball younger than, you know,

who's the youngest player in college basketball this past season, and put up historic block rate. So, you know, we talked a lot about, you know, Amari Williams being the three-time CA defensive player of the year, but still kind of wondered why he wasn't the shot-blocking presence. He necessarily could have been with the tools. what his tool suggested he could have been. That's what Jane Quaint's is.

So you look for him to anchor that. Obviously, Mo Diabate, that's exactly what he brings to the table. I mean, if you're wondering where the defense comes from, let's go to the guy that stopped one of the all-time streaks for Kentucky basketball with double-digit scoring in Otega Oway. He was the guy that ended that. So those two, just the last 48 hours for Kentucky basketball, I'd say that those, that's where you look for defense.

And obviously some of the other guys have tools. Otega is a good defender, and if you can get him back. So, yeah, there's definitely a lot of defensive upside with the Ross Bay Building. Don't sleep on the Mormon Mamba. Well, Cam Williams, too. But, I mean, Mormon Mamba. Colin Chandler showed some defense even before he really broke out offensively early in the season. He was pretty hands.

He had a lot of steals. Played a big role in the H. Sanit out loud. The Arkansas game didn't go well, but in that second half, he helped shut down John L. Davis. That's the one player I'm really looking forward to. I think we are kind of sleeping on what he's going to be able to bring next year. You saw him kind of get a little more comfortable with his game there late in the season and started to have some confidence that, I mean, we don't have a whole lot of highlights from that Tennessee game, but that was a big three he hit at the end of the half.

And he hit some big shots against Missouri also. I mean, like, he's somebody that I really think is going to contribute a lot next year. He's going to be a 22-year-old sophomore, 21-year-old sophomore, whatever it's going to be. He'll be married. He'll be married. I mean, he's settling down, you know, 21 years old. Rick, let's get one more in before the break. Okay, we have Adrian up next.

Adrian, thanks for calling in. What's up? Hey, good morning. How are you all doing? We are excellent. Thanks for asking. I guess this question is, you can all chop in, but I guess this question is more for Jack. Are we still in the running for Nate of Mint?

And what about the kid from Robert Morris, that's from Spain, that we were kind of looking at? Yeah, great questions. I would probably put that on hold. I do not think that, you know, I think, I think that ship has sailed and I think this is this Jaden Quentin's edition is kind of the writing on the wall there But you know we'll see with Alvaro obviously I think him kind of putting his recruitment on hold and you know if if you were to get a surprise Decommitment or enter the transfer portal with you know a Brandon Garrison or something I think that's something they would re-evaluate

But until then I think the guys they have right now in the front quarter the guys they're very comfortable with going into the next season I was pretty excited about the big Spaniards. He's still in Spain? Did he come back? If we heard if he's like? I have not heard. I think they thought he was coming back and did not come back yesterday. But, you know, I've... We're pretty excited about...

We got J.N. Quentin Cue on board. We got to introduce him at Ruppereena again. I love that moment when he popped in and gave him by a big wave. Let's run him back next season. But we'll be running it back in the second hour. Drew Franklin, Jack Pilgrim, Stephen Peek. Thanks to Phoenix and Tiani Key for joining us. Talk a little women's basketball in the middle of all this.

We also want to hear from you on the Clark's Pump and Shop phone line. 859-280-2287. We're having lots of fun on a newsy day. We'll talk about the championship when we get back. This is KSR. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends.

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Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves. their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app,

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And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the best. biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was hungry. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come until he's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

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