KSR Today: Stoops at SEC Media Days, KSR at Peach Jam, and Kentucky vs. La Familia
Good morning, folks! And welcome to a surprisingly newsy Thursday in the middle of July. From the gridiron to the hardwood, there is plenty to discuss today in the world of UK Athletics.
We’ll start with Kentucky head football coach Mark Stoops, who will take the podium around 10:50 a.m. ET to answer questions from a sea of reporters, including KSR’s Nick Roush, Adam Luckett, and Steven Peake. Stoops, who will also talk with local media ahead of his on-air time, will be joined at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta by a trio of Wildcats: LB Alex Afari Jr., DB Jordan Lovett, and TE Josh Kattus. There will surely be plenty of chatter revolving around Vince Marrow‘s departure to Louisville, what new QB Zach Calzada brings to the table, Kentucky’s transfer portal moves, and much more.
The KSR crew will bring you immediate coverage of everything Stoops has to say later this morning. Follow their Live Blog for constant updates. They’ve been in Atlanta since Monday listening to the rest of the SEC’s head coaches, but now it’s time for their Super Bowl. Before we jump into the rest of this morning’s news and notes, check out the latest episode of 11 Personnel below to get yourself ready for what’s in store today with Stoops and the Kentucky football program.
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KSR is at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam
KSR’s Jack Pilgrim and Jacob Polacheck arrived in North Augusta, SC yesterday afternoon for the annual Peach Jam tournament, which caps off the Nike EYBL summer season. After I spent last week in Rock Hill, SC, watching all of Kentucky’s top recruits on the adidas 3SSB circuit, now it’s time for Jack and Jacob to do the same with the Nike prospects. College coaches will be allowed in the gym starting this morning, too. Expect Mark Pope and his assistants to be frequent visitors inside the Riverview Park Activities Center between now and the end of the live period on Sunday.
Pope and Co. will look to get even more first-hand looks at the likes of five-star SF Tryan Stokes, 5-star SF Baba Oladotun, 5-star PG Ikenna Alozie, 5-star SG Jordan Smith Jr., 4-star SF Bryson Howard, 5-star SF Christian Collins, and several more top-end talents.
These events are important to Kentucky’s overall recruiting process. We saw a pair of 2026 targets who participated in last week’s adidas 3SSB Championships pick up UK offers on Wednesday: four-star C Arafan Diane and four-star PF Cam Williams. According to Jacob Polacheck of KSR+, Williams has even scheduled an official visit with Kentucky for late September.
Which Peach Jam recruits will earn scholarships from the Wildcats this week? Stay tuned to KSR as Jack and Jacob spend the rest of the week in North Augusta to find out.
Kentucky vs. La Familia 5-on-5/practice
La Familia begins its second-ever run in The Basketball Tournament later this week, but first, the Kentucky alums have been preparing for the $1 million, winner-takes-all tournament by going up against the current Wildcats. The two sides practiced together on Tuesday before playing 5-on-5 against each other on Wednesday afternoon. Cameron Mills spoke with Mark Pope afterward to get the latest on what went down during the 5-on-5 portion inside Memorial Coliseum.
“Positive for us was we battled through some discomfort and some frustration, and some leadership emerged,” Pope told Mills. “A positive, some guys that walked into a little bit of new circumstances got to shake off some of the dust and nerves. So I like both of those.”
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Listen to the full four-minute interview below. There are also a few clips from the 5-on-5 mixed into the interview you’ll want to see.
If you want even more 5-on-5/practice intel, Jack Pilgrim has you covered over on KSBoard. He also has a positive update on the arrival status of international big man Andrija Jelavić that the Big Blue Nation will be excited to read.
Single-game UK football tickets go on sale this morning
Primary-inventory single-game tickets for all of Kentucky’s home games go on sale to the public starting on Thursday, July 17, at 9:00 a.m. ET (right as this article goes live), exclusively online at Ticketmaster.com. Those interested in buying tickets for every big Kentucky football game in Kroger Field can take advantage of the overall value on season-ticket packages starting at $300.
| 2025 Kentucky Football Schedule | |||
| Date | Opponent | Kickoff Time | TV |
| Aug. 30 | TOLEDO | 12:45 p.m. ET | SEC Network |
| Sept. 6 | OLE MISS | 3:30 p.m. ET | ABC |
| Sept. 13 | EASTERN MICHIGAN | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPNU |
| Sept. 20 | Open Date | ||
| Sept. 27 | at South Carolina | Flex | TBA |
| Oct. 4 | at Georgia | Noon | ABC or ESPN |
| Oct. 11 | Open Date | ||
| Oct. 18 | TEXAS | Night | TBA |
| Oct. 25 | TENNESSEE | Night | TBA |
| Nov. 1 | at Auburn | Flex | TBA |
| Nov. 8 | FLORIDA | Flex | TBA |
| Nov. 15 | TENNESSEE TECH | 1:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+ or SECN+ |
| Nov. 22 | at Vanderbilt | Afternoon | TBA |
| Nov. 29 | at Louisville | TBA | TBA |
Maddy Greenway, Team USA advance to quarterfinals
Kentucky women’s basketball commit Maddy Greenway and Team USA are now 4-0 and have made it to the quarterfinal round in the FIBA U19 World Cup. Greenway went for four points and a team-high nine assists in the Americans’ dominant 122-57 win over China in the Round of 16 on Wednesday. Up next is a showdown with a tough France team on Friday at 2:15 p.m. ET over on the FIBA YouTube channel.
Through four games with Team USA, Greenway has posted per-game averages of five points and a team-best six assists in 17.3 minutes. She’s struggling with her shooting percentages right now (33.3 FG%, 14.3 3PT%), but has been the team’s best playmaker and is in the middle of the rotation. The United States will be favored to win its next three games en route to another gold medal.
Former ‘Cats in NBA Summer League
NBA Summer League action in Las Vegas rolls right along this afternoon with another round of games. As always, a handful of former Kentucky Wildcats will hit the court.
| TIME (ET) | HOME | AWAY | TV/STREAMING |
| 4:30 PM | Indiana Pacers | New York Knicks (Lance Ware) | ESPN2, ESPN+ |
| 6:00 PM | Atlanta Hawks (Lamont Butler, Jacob Toppin) | Memphis Grizzlies | NBATV, ESPN+ |
| 8:00 PM | Houston Rockets | Portland Trail Blazers (Andrew Carr) | NBATV, ESPN+ |
| 9:00 PM | Boston Celtics (Amari Williams) | Los Angeles Lakers | ESPN, ESPN+ |
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