KSR Today: Coen Watch, Tshiebwe's Bag, and shout out to Presidents

Good morning and happy early birthday to our good friend George Washington, who is the reason banks, post offices, schools, and federal offices are closed today. Washington is also a pretty big reason we have a country today, and tomorrow would’ve been his 290th birthday if not for his sudden and unexpected death by way of a throat infection at his Mt. Vernon estate in 1799. R.I.P., King.

Today, we celebrate Washington and all U.S. Presidents, even the ones you don’t like, on this Presidents’ Day 2022. Enjoy your day off, if you get one of those.

Here at KSR, we don’t know what days off are, so it’s business as usual on the internet (although, the radio show is off due to neverending technical difficulties).

We’ll get started with some Monday morning notes…

Liam Coen Watch continues

The weekend passed without news of Liam Coen’s official departure to Los Angeles, but Kentucky Football fans shouldn’t be welcoming him back to Lexington just yet. Though the process has gone a day or two longer than many expected, Coen is still in the mix for Sean McVay’s next offensive coordinator job.

He’s so in the mix, trusted NFL reporter Ian Rapoport called Coen a “top candidate” late last night.

Meanwhile, the #Rams are expecting assistant HC Thomas Brown to return to their staff, while assistant QBs coach Zac Robinson will stay in LA with a better title. That leaves the vacant OC spot, with Kentucky’s Liam Coen as a top candidate.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 21, 2022

Today could be the day the Rams’ decision goes final and a hire is made. Big Blue Nation wouldn’t be mad if the hire is not Coen.

Oscar Tshiebwe can now get N.I.L. money

Finally, Oscar Tshiebwe can get his bread. Thanks to the hard work of many behind the scenes, including TJ Beisner, Tshiebwe has now cleared all of the hurdles to begin making money on his Name, Image, and Likeness in America, as all of his teammates and players throughout college basketball have been doing since last summer. Tshiebwe wasn’t able to profit on his own brand due to restrictions around his student visa, but that is no longer the case with March Madness (and his summer decision) on the horizon. Now he can take those calls and sign those deals, and we may see another year of Big O in Lexington because of it.

Excited to announce I am open for business BBN. I am happy to join @TheFamilie_. For all business inquiries please contact [email protected] 🙏 pic.twitter.com/m1vtW7ulyx

— Big O (@Oscartshiebwe34) February 20, 2022

Oscar at the Final Four pic.twitter.com/AT6RqqPjsO

— Drew Franklin (@DrewFranklinKSR) February 20, 2022

No Monday Basketball Press Conference

With Kentucky Basketball playing on Wednesday rather than Tuesday this week, our Monday routine is a little thrown off from its regularly-scheduled programming. Normally, I would be ironing my clothes and charging my Talkboy for a Monday morning press conference with a UK Basketball assistant and two players, but we’ll wait another 24 hours to hear from the team about this week’s game.

We will, however, hear from John Calipari in his Monday evening call-in radio show as his weekly conversation with Tom Leach and Bob In Jamestown is on as planned over at Malone’s Banquet Hall. “I haven’t seen him today,” is likely the latest on TyTy Washington’s status, but KSR will still tune in in case Calipari actually updates Washington’s situation or says anything else of substance that you should know about.

Calipari is live from 6-7 p.m. on the UK Sports Network.

New Top 25 in College Basketball

There will be a shake-up near the top of the rankings when the AP and Coaches’ Top 25s are released at lunchtime. Gonzaga will remain in place as our nation’s No. 1 team, but behind the ‘Zags voters should move two-loss Arizona into second where Auburn once stood since Auburn lost two of four in conference play, most recently to unranked Florida.

Kentucky currently isn’t far behind at No. 3/4, depending who you ask, until we see how last week’s loss at Tennessee impacted today’s new pecking order.

Four straight for Kentucky Women’s Basketball

Make it four in a row for Kyra Elzy’s Kentucky Women’s Basketball program. On Sunday, the Wildcats traveled to Arkansas for a fourth game in eight days and WON a fourth game in eight days, this time in blowout fashion.

Rhyne Howard had a double-double with 29 and 10; Dre’Una Edwards did too with her 17 and 13 as Kentucky beat the Razorbacks, 78-55, in Fayetteville.

Turns out, Howard took offense to her spot in the latest WNBA Draft projections.

Kentucky Baseball opened its season with a sweep

It’s a 3-0 start to 2022 for Kentucky Baseball after the Bat Cats swept Jacksonville State over three days down Alabama. The latest win was a 15-1 blowout Sunday afternoon.

Our driver Jackie welcoming the boys to the bus after the SWEEP!!! 3-0 #jackieagoat #OMAHA22 @UKBaseball pic.twitter.com/UxYCNLUTw2

— Kentucky Baseball Managers (@UKbaseball_MGRs) February 20, 2022

Tomorrow, Kentucky opens the doors to Kentucky Proud Park for the home opener against Southeast Missouri State. The first pitch is at 4:00 p.m. See you there.

No KSR radio show today

You won’t believe this (kidding, you will absolutely believe this): there are technical difficulties at iHeart and we are unable to get the KSR show on the air today. It’s a building-wide problem, not just us, so don’t blame Shannon The Dude or Ryan Lemond.

There has been a massive equipment breakdown in the IHeart Louisville studio that means we can’t get KSR on the air today.

For another year, KSR sits atop the KenPom nationally for technical difficulties. We hope to be back tomorrow.

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) February 21, 2022

KSR will be back on the radio tomorrow morning, assuming this gets fixed over the next 24 hours.