KSR Today: Kentucky signees shine at Jordan Brand Classic
We’ve reached the middle of April, and things are slowing down in the Kentucky sports world. Both baseball and softball are competing in the SEC for postseason bids, and the track team is making some noise, but things are quiet with the two big sports. However, recruiting never sleeps.
On the football side, post-spring is when things typically start to heat up with high school recruiting, and the Wildcats are still shopping the transfer portal for help. On the hardwood, transfer portal movement is heating up, and there was just a huge event in Chicago where some of the best prep players in the world showed off their stuff.
Let’s dive into all of the happenings in the Big Blue Nation this morning on KSR Today.
Chris Livingston, Cason Wallace shine at Jordan Brand Classic
Expectations are high for incoming freshmen Chris Livingston and Cason Wallace. Both top-10 recruits looked like future stars last night at the Jordan Brand Classic.
The duo ended up falling to Team Air 118-109 in an Elam Ending finish, but the pair of future Wildcats stole the show throughout the night. Livingston led the way with 21 points (8-16 FG, 2-5 3PT, 3-7 FT), eight rebounds, three steals and five turnovers, while Wallace added 15 points (6-11 FG, 3-3 FT), four rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
KSR’s Zack Geoghegan has a complete recap of the event as Kentucky looks to have two bonafide diaper dandies on the way who will contribute immediately next season.
Kentucky played Yahtzee for the first time in a month
The biggest recruiting for Mark Stoops and his program on Friday occurred when three-star tight end Tanner Lemaster ended his recruitment with a commitment to Kentucky. The Southeastern Ohio native gives Vince Marrow yet another recruiting win in the class of 2023 as the class is beginning to come together.
Lemaster is the first commit for the program in over a month as the Wildcats now have five players in the fold for the class of 2023. The prospect picked Kentucky over Cincinnati, Indiana, and Tennessee. KSR’s Film Room took a look at Lemaster’s tape, and it seems that the commit is an absolute scheme fit for Rich Scangarello’s offense.
Elsewhere, Kentucky had a huge unofficial visitor on campus as the coaching staff hosted four-star wideout Karmello English. The top-150 recruit is seen as an Auburn lean at the moment, but things can change fast in the recruiting world. Can Kentucky pull another steal in the Deep South?
Meanwhile, Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass defensive tackle Jamarrion Harkless was one of the popular recruits in college football this week. The 2023 defensive tackle is currently unranked but saw offers roll in from Auburn, Georgia, Louisville, LSU, and Michigan. Kentucky would join the party when Marrow issued an offer to the in-state prospect on Friday morning.
Meanwhile, former Indiana signee Gi’Bran Payne picked Notre Dame over Kentucky as the Cincinnati LaSalle product will join the Fighting Irish in the summer. Things are happening fast on the recruiting trail.
Timme Time
Things have been a bit slow on the basketball side when it comes to the transfer portal. It has now been two weeks since the Final Four in New Orleans, and there has not been a ton of real buzz for Kentucky.
The Big Blue Nation decided to create some on Friday.
An internet rumor caught fire as the BBN got Drew Timme trending on Twitter after finding out he may have some interest in playing for Kentucky. However, KSR discovered that is very unlikely to happen. But that did not stop some folks from hilariously firing off some golden tweets on Friday.
In some more real transfer news, Kentucky has reached out to Detroit Mercy transfer Antoine Davis. The son of former Indiana coach Mike Davis averaged 23.9 points per game last season as a lead guard with a very high usage rate that saw him shoot 37.9 percent from three on 10.3 attempts per game. Kentucky needs some guard depth, and the 6-foot-1 super senior could be a great bench piece who could provide floor spacing on offense.
Expect some more transfer portal buzz in the coming days.
Kenny Payne is making moves at Louisville
Once Louisville made it official and brought on Kenny Payne to run the ACC program, everyone knew that the former Kentucky staffer would become a real in-state threat to John Calipari’s program in Lexington. The new coach is not wasting any time making major moves.
Shortly after naming former Duke star and assistant coach Nolan Smith to his Louisville staff, Payne announced on Friday that former Kansas star and assistant coach Danny Manning will be joining Payne’s staff at UofL. The hire is a key one as Manning will bring ACC and head coaching experience to Louisville as he was the head coach at Wake Forest for six seasons at Wake Forest leading the Demon Deacons to one NCAA Tournament bid. Manning, of course, coached Olivier Sarr who eventually left Winston-Salem for Lexington.
Oh, there’s also some recruiting buzz.
Meanwhile, predictions are starting to come in for Louisville to land D.J. Wagner. The No. 1 prospect in the class of 2023 has long been considered a Kentucky lean, but the arrival of Payne changes things. Wagner’s grandfather, Milt, played at Louisville with Payne and is rumored to be a potential addition to Louisville’s new staff.
Things are happening and the rivalry is making some major waves in the offseason for the first time in quite a while. We’ll see how Kentucky counters.
Kentucky suffers a pair of losses on the diamond
Kentucky softball entered this weekend with a big-time matchup. The No. 8 Wildcats were just off a major win over Louisville and were hitting the road to face No. 6 Arkansas. Unfortunately, the Hogs landed the first punch.
After tying the game at one in the first inning, the score would change in the next frame as Arkansas’ Hannah Gammill logged her 15th dinger of the season. Kentucky failed to get across the plate again. Game two is set for 8:00 p.m. as both teams are vying for a spot at the top of the SEC.
In CoMo, Kentucky hit the dirt looking for a series-clinching victory after an impressive offensive showing on Thursday against Missouri. However, it was the Tigers with the hot bats on Friday.
Kentucky collected just five hits with just one extra-base knock. Meanwhile, a methodical approach at the plate put Missouri’s offense in a good position all night. Game three is set for 2:00 p.m., and this feels like a must-win moment for Nick Mingione’s Bat Cats.
USFL, NBA take center stage
The MLB regular season is off to a hot start, and the PGA Tour is entering moving day at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, but the sports world will center around playoff basketball and spring football on Saturday.
The final batch of play-in games finished on Friday as the Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans locked in the final spots for the playoffs. Now the best of seven series can begin with four games on the schedule as high-level basketball will be on the tube for 10 hours.
Meanwhile, the USFL is finally making its debut. At 7:30 p.m., the first game of a new spring league will take place as the New Jersey Generals and Birmingham Stallions go at it on national television. Football is football, and this league will surely get its fair share of eyeballs. Unfortunately, a wager can’t be made in our beautiful state for quite some time.
Let’s get to the full viewing menu.
- 1:00 — Utah Jazz at Dallas Mavericks (ESPN)
- 3:30 — Minnesota Timberwolves at Memphis Grizzlies (ESPN)
- 6:00 — Toronto Raptors @ Philadelphia 76ers (ESPN)
- 8:30 — Denver Nuggets @ Golden State Warriors (ABC)
Enjoy the sports and have a good weekend.
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