KSR Today: A potential football commit; Rhyne in WNBA All-Star Game
Good Sunday morning to you all, folks! Remember how Kentucky football’s 2023 recruiting class had some serious question marks this time last week? Well, a lot of those questions have been answered since then, and the momentum doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
On Saturday, the Wildcats picked up a commitment from three-star interior offensive lineman Koby Keenum, who should be a fan favorite from day one after his faking-out of Louisville and many “Ls down” gestures.
Keenum became the 10th commit for UK’s ’23 class, which is now ranked 39th overall and ninth in the SEC, per On3. He joins the likes of four-star S Avery Stuart and three-star RB Khalifa Keith as prospects who chose Kentucky this week. As always, we’ve got a Film Room breakdown on Keenum from (brand new dad) Adam Luckett available right here.
“I would definitely say the coaching staff,” Keenum told Sean Williams of Rivals.com. “Coach (Zach) Yenser has been with the 49ers the past three seasons and I love the way he coaches. I talked to the offensive linemen there and they love him. It’s just more of a family aspect than football there – that’s what I like to see and that’s what I want to be a part of.
“When I started to make my pros and cons list, there were really no cons with Kentucky and that’s when I knew.”
But could another future ‘Cat be on the way? Sunday at 2:00 p.m. EST, in-state wide receiver Jakob Dixon out of Pleasure Ridge Park will announce his college decision. The 6-foot-5 Dixon isn’t nationally ranked, but he performed incredibly well in multiple camp settings this past June at UK, where he ran a 4.5 40-yard dash and subsequently earned an offer. The coaching staff views him as a potential hybrid tight end, similar to the role that current pass-catcher Izayah Cummings plays.
Dixon holds additional offers from the likes of Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Illinois, Dartmouth, Murray State, and Tennessee State.
Do we smell another Yahtzee???
Rhyne Howard in 2022 WNBA All-Star Game
Atlanta Dream rookie Rhyne Howard has been busy this weekend in Chicago for the 2022 WNBA All-Star Weekend. Her trip began on Saturday as she participated in both the Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest. But the real fun begins later today when she suits up as the lone first-year player in the All-Star Game for Team Wilson.
Howard was knocked out in the first round of the Skills Challenge before making it to the final round of the 3-Point Contest. The former Kentucky Wildcat was on fire in her opening round of the 3-Point Contest, hitting her first seven shots before finishing with a score of 24. Unfortunately, her next round wasn’t nearly as efficient, as she wound up losing to the now-four-time champion Allie Quigley, who lit up the nets for a score of 30 to win the event.
Howard will have her shot at redemption during Sunday’s All-Star Game, which is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. EST on ABC/ESPN at Wintrust Arena. She was the second reserve drafted by Team Wilson from a pool of 12 players. Howard is one of just two players (Kelsey Plum of the Las Vegas Aces) who will participate in all three main events at All-Star Weekend.
Prior to partaking in the basketball fun on Saturday, Howard made sure to honor one of her closest friends on the red carpet. She arrived sporting a Kentucky blue letterman jacket celebrating the life of the late Terrence Clarke. The jacket featured Clarke’s signature logo, a blue heart with a basketball and ‘TC5’ on her chest. She also wore a dog tag with a photo of Clarke around her neck.
Pretty cool stuff.
New Sources Say is a must-listen
Want the scoop on everything happening with the recruitments of DJ Wagner, Justin Edwards, and Aaron Bradshaw? KSR’s Jack Pilgrim has you covered and then some in his latest episode of the Sources Say podcast.
He’s also got the lowdown on Edwards’ commitment, which is expected to come sometime during next week’s Peach Jam (July 17-24). You can check that out here.
NBA Las Vegas Summer League continues
The first full day of NBA Summer League action concluded on Saturday when a handful of former Wildcats took the floor. Among them were Nate Sestina (Sacramento Kings), Mychal Mulder (Miami Heat), Johnny Juzang (Utah Jazz), TyTy Washington Jr. (Houston Rockets), and Brandon Boston (LA Clippers).
Mulder and Boston posted the two best individual performances of the day, with the former dropping 23 points on 5-7 shooting from deep and the latter adding 15 points, three rebounds, two assists, and three steals. The Portland Trail Blazers No. 7 overall pick from the 2022 NBA Draft, Shaedon Sharpe, did not play and will sit out the next 10-14 days with a small labral tear.
As for Sunday’s contests, another eight games will be spread across the ESPN networks and NBA TV beginning at 3:00 p.m. EST. Basketball season never sleeps.
That’s all the news and notes I have for you this morning. Let’s all hope we’re rolling dice in a few hours!
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