I'm one frustrated Louisville fan.  At the last minute, Duke swooped in and stole Nolan Smith.  Apparently Coach K showed him the love, while Pitino, in a characteristic fit of ego, didn't want to take someone whose reason for coming here would be to play for Louisville, not Coach Jesus himself.

The real reason this is frustrating is not because Louisville really NEEDED him, but because he's going to be an amazing college player.  As Matt J would attest, he is a great talent.  I would rather see him at Kentucky than at Duke, where he will be competing with the slew of great guards they already have and the 3-4 they're sure to get in the next two years.

Pitino, for all his skills, sometimes makes very questionable personnel decisions.  Who can forget Carlos Toomer?  Aminu Timberlake?  Oliver Simmons?  Why would you take Lorrenzo Wade, who has no connection to this area, over Chris Lofton or Rajon Rondo?  Just silly all the way around.  

I don't miss Denny Crum's record or his recruiting in the 90s, but I do miss his humility and the way he elevated the university over himself.  

KSR Blue Blooded Opinions

Argghh!

Thursday began with speculation regarding former Kentucky assistants Orlando Antigua and Kenny Payne. There was buzz that new Kentucky head coach

Feb 18, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; California Golden Bears head coach Mark Fox in a college basketball game at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.  (Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports)

KSR Basketball

Mark Fox, Jason Hart are potential Kentucky staff additions for Mark Pope

Mark Pope Says His Players Will Know What Putting On A Kentucky Jersey Means

After some speculation that a Kentucky reunion could be in the cards for Kenny Payne, the expected became reality on Thursday night. John Calipari is

Kentucky head coach John Calipari and Louisville head coach Kenny Payne

Kenny Payne joins John Calipari's first Arkansas staff

Revealing How College Players Are Shopping Nil Prices Between Schools | 04.18.24

Reed Sheppard made the right decision. It's heartbreaking that Kentucky's all-time leading 3-point shooter and the 2024 Wayman Tisdale National

Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard (15) dribbles the ball while defended by Tennessee guard Jordan Gainey (2) during an NCAA college basketball game between Tennessee and Kentucky in Knoxville, Tenn.  Photo by Caitie McMekin, News Sentinel | USA TODAY NETWORK

Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard (15) dribbles the ball while defended by Tennessee guard Jordan Gainey (2) during an NCAA college basketball game between Tennessee and Kentucky in Knoxville, Tenn.

Photo by Caitie McMekin, News Sentinel | USA TODAY NETWORK

4-Point Play: Reed Sheppard's best moments at Kentucky

Kenny Brooks' first coaching staff in Lexington is nearing completion.   On Thursday morning, Brooks announced that he has hired Josh Petersen as an

kenny-brooks-hires-josh-petersen-kentucky-wbb-assistant-coach

KSR Women's Basketball

Kenny Brooks hires Josh Petersen as Kentucky WBB assistant coach

It's officially official -- Reed Sheppard is forgoing his college eligibility and will head off to the NBA. He announced the news on Thursday

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Reed Sheppard a projected Top 10 pick in ESPN's latest 2024 NBA Mock Draft

On Thursday, former Kentucky guard Maddie Scherr announced on social media that she will not be returning to Kentucky. Despite her visit to Iowa

kentucky-transfer-guard-maddie-scherr-set-to-transfer-to-tcu

Kentucky transfer guard Maddie Scherr set to transfer to TCU

The last week has been a weird one for the BBN. The transfer portal moves of Aly Khalifa are similarly strange.   A 6-foot-11 Egyptian athlete, last

C Aly Khalifa

KSR Basketball Recruiting

Aly Khalifa Transferring to Louisville to Redshirt

The amount of guards in the NBA from Kentucky is staggering. From 2015-2020, John Calipari and Kentucky produced immense talent at the guard

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KSR Cats in the NBA

BBNBA: Tyrese Maxey, Tyler Herro Battle it Out for a Playoff Spot

Tides turn quickly in Major League Baseball. The Cincinnati Reds headed out west after a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox. That series

ksreds-cincinnati-reds-swept-by-seattle-mariners

KSR KSReds

KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Swept by Seattle Mariners

Reed Sheppard's time as a Kentucky Wildcat has come to a close, the 2024 Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Year officially taking his

VU-277066

Kentucky star Reed Sheppard declares for the NBA Draft

[Ed. Note: With the news that Reed Sheppard is headed to the NBA Draft, we're bumping this feature from November up.]  Even with his famous lineage,

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The Reed in Reed Sheppard: Stacey's Story

The college basketball transfer portal is taking over the offseason right now, but the football side of things isn't lacking in headlines, either.

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KSR Football Recruiting

Thursday afternoon Kentucky football recruiting news and notes

When Kyra Elzy was fired in March, it was unknown if Kentucky women's basketball's next head coach, now Kenny Brooks, would retain Elzy's two class

kentucky-wbb-commit-tanah-becker-officially-signs-with-the-cats

Kentucky WBB commit Tanah Becker officially signs with the Cats

It's all about quality over quantity during the spring transfer portal window. Kentucky filled its most significant roster holes in December, but

Florida State cornerback Greedy Vance

Kentucky to Host Former Florida State Cornerback for Official Visit

Transfer Portal Latest - April 18, 2024

Kentucky Baseball head coach Nick Mingione spoke to the media Thursday morning about the No. 3 ranked Bat Cats' upcoming top-five clash with No. 4

WATCH-Nick-Mingione-discusses-upcoming-Tennessee-series

KSR Baseball

WATCH: Nick Mingione discusses upcoming Tennessee series

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is officially the face of Converse, signing a multi-year extension with the brand while also being named Creative Director.

Photo courtesy of Converse, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Converse, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander named Creative Director at Converse, set to release signature shoe

The transfer efforts continue for Kentucky's new staff, led by head coach Mark Pope. Kentucky has contacted Texas Tech transfer Pop Isaacs, a source

kentucky-reaches-out-to-texas-tech-transfer-pop-isaacs

KSR+ Basketball Recruiting

Kentucky Reaches Out to Texas Tech Transfer Pop Isaacs

It was exactly one month ago today that reports surfaced of Maddie Scherr entering her name into the transfer portal. Scherr never publicly announced

transfer-guard-maddie-scherr-confirms-not-return-kentucky

Transfer guard Maddie Scherr confirms she will not return to Kentucky

Joey Hart is returning home after spending a season at Kentucky.  The Linton, Indiana native has committed to Ball State after entering the transfer

BBM-224975

Kentucky transfer Joey Hart commits to Ball State

Both Kentucky and Louisville men's basketball are entering new eras, but the rivalry between the two in-state schools will never go away -- and that

louisville-hosting-kentucky-targets-jayden-quaintance-aly-khalifa-thursday

Louisville hosting Kentucky targets Jayden Quaintance, Aly Khalifa on Thursday

When Jerry Jones isn't running the Dallas Cowboys into the ground as the most underachieving franchise of the last three decades, he's helping John

Syndication: Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Jerry Jones

Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones attends the Big 12 football game between Texas Tech and Texas, Friday, Nov. 24, 2023, at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin -- Syndication: Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Jerry Jones -- yes, that Jerry Jones -- recruiting Kentucky commits to Arkansas

Earlier this week, Matt Jones reported that Mark Pope was looking to add a "big name" to his staff that Kentucky fans would be very familiar with. It

Kenny Payne and Orlando Antigua - Dr. Michael Huang, Mont Dawson, Kentucky Sports Radio

Kenny Payne, now Orlando Antigua? The latest on Kentucky's coaching staff build

It wasn't too long ago when we learned that Maddie Scherr would be taking a visit to Iowa to potentially become Caitlin Clark's replacement.

maddie-scherr-scheduled-visit-iowa-reportedly-canceled

Maddie Scherr's scheduled visit to Iowa has reportedly been canceled

Kentucky Baseball has risen from a projected top 16 host to the No. 4 national seed in D1Baseball's latest Field of 64 Projections.    The Cats have

Kentucky-up-No4-national-seed-latest-Fieldof64-Projections

Kentucky up to No. 4 national seed in latest Field of 64 Projections

We're tracking Mark Pope's first coaching staff and roster as the Pope era begins in Lexington. Today on KSR, the crew is at KSBar and Grille to

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