KSR Today: Summer Basketball interviews, Ponatoski Watch, Pope in Switzerland
Good morning, friends. Welcome to a new week; it’s a short one for most of us, as July 4th is coming up on Friday. Can you believe the Fourth is already here? Me neither. Time is flying this summer.
We’re firmly in the offseason, but there’s still plenty happening. Today, we’ll hear from two new Kentucky Basketball players, check in on one playing overseas, wait for some football recruiting news, and wish a beloved coach a happy birthday. To the rundown!
We’ll hear from Jaland Lowe and Reece Potter
Kentucky Basketball’s summer interviews continue today with two incoming transfers. Point guard Jaland Lowe (Pitt) and center Reece Potter (Miami OH) will chat with reporters just after lunch. Lowe has big shoes to fill, taking over Lamont Butler’s role as floor general, while Potter was a late addition to the roster, transferring from Miami of Ohio to his old Kentucky home.
Lowe has reportedly been a standout in summer workouts so far, the first to arrive at the gym and the last to leave. We’ll bring you the highlights of their conversations — and full video replays — this afternoon. Until then, enjoy some highlights from Friday’s practice:
The plays of the day ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/uNDRQ2yMs8
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) June 27, 2025
Another football commitment; Ponatoski Watch continues
Kentucky Football stayed hot on the recruiting trail on Sunday. Three-star defensive lineman Garrett Witherington picked the Cats over Penn State, Mississippi State, North Carolina, NC State, Stanford, and Vanderbilt. The 6’4″ 290 lbs. prospect from Birmingham (AL) Briarwood Christian is the 13th member of Kentucky’s 2026 class. On Friday, three-star offensive lineman Tyreek Jemison committed.
“It’s just the family-like atmosphere they have with the coaches and players,” Witherington told Jacob Polacheck of his decision to pick UK. “It’s about how they all react to each other, especially with the coaches. Coach [Brad] White and Coach [Anwar] Stewart are so tight, and it’s really cool to see a relationship like that between a defensive coordinator and a defensive line coach.”
Witherington makes it 12 commitments in the month of June, with potentially more coming soon.
| Player | Position | High School | Ranking |
| Messiah Tilson | S (6-2, 165) | Rockford (Ill.) Guilford | 4-star (No. 343 overall) |
| Jordan Crutchfield | CB (6-2, 195) | Vero Beach (Fla.) High | High 3-star (No. 418 overall) |
| Dallas Dickerson | WR (6-1, 180) | Bogart (Ga.) North Oconee | High 3-star (No. 461 overall) |
| Lincoln Watkins | TE (6-4, 225) | North Port Huron (MI) | High 3-Star (No. 592 overall) |
| Tyreek Jemison | OT (6-5, 330) | Paulding County (GA) | 3-star (No. 604 overall) |
| Prince Jean | WR (6-0, 170) | Valdosta (Ga.) High | 3-star (No. 717 overall) |
| Garrett Witherington | DL (6-4, 290) | Birmingham (AL) Briarwood Christian | 3-Star (No. 976 overall) |
| Davis McCray | WR (6-2, 190) | San Antonio (Texas) Cornerstone Christian | 3-star (No. 1,063 overall) |
| Max Mohring | LB (6-3, 215) | Malvern (Pa.) Prep | 3-star (No. 1,262 overall) |
| Delvecchio “Deuce” Alston II | RB (6-0, 200) | Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) | 3-star (No. 1,291 overall) |
| Cameron Miller | T (6-5, 310) | Hammond (Ind.) Morton | 3-star (No. 1,349 overall) |
| Ben Duncum | DL (6-5, 250) | Austin (TX) Lake Travis | Unranked |
| Isaiah McMillian | CB (6-0, 170) | Katy (TX) High | Unranked |
Momentum is rolling as we wait to hear what four-star quarterback Matt Ponatoski will do. The Archbishop Moeller signal caller is back home in Cincinnati after a baseball tournament in Georgia. It’s only a matter of time before his decision drops; will he be a Cat? The vibes are good, but the hay is not in the barn just yet. We’re overanalyzing every rumbling on KSBoard, so hit that link below to join us.
Mark Pope went to Switzerland to watch Jasper Johnson and Team USA
Jasper Johnson and the U19 USA Men’s National Team started their run in the FIBA World Cup in Switzerland this weekend, and for game two, a familiar face was in the stands. Mark Pope traveled to Lausanne to see Jasper and the squad beat France 108-77. Pope, of course, served as an assistant coach during training camp a few weeks ago.
Jasper is one of 12 members of the squad, which also includes top UK targets Tyran Stokes, Caleb Holt, and Jordan Smith Jr. Through two games, he’s averaging 5.0 points (30.0% FG, 16.7% 3PT), 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steals in 17.1 minutes. Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. had a team-high 24 points, including six threes, in the win over France. He’s good, unfortunately.
Team USA is now 2-0 in the FIBA World Cup, also knocking off Australia in the opener 88-73. Tomorrow, they face Cameroon in the final round of group play (11:15 a.m. ET, YouTube). The Round of 16 starts on Wednesday. Until then, watch Zack Geoghegan, Brandon Ramsey, and Steven Peake break down Jasper’s game over on the KSR YouTube Channel.
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Julius Randle got paid
It’s moving and shaking time in the NBA, and one of our favorite Wildcats got paid. Julius Randle will reportedly sign a three-year $100 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Randle was traded to Minnesota last summer, a deal that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks. He got off to a shaky start with the ‘Wolves, but after returning from an adductor sprain in early March, he found his groove, averaging 18.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists over the final two months of the season. Randle was a beast in the playoffs, averaging a postseason career-high 21.7 points on 50.2% shooting to lead Minnesota to its second straight Western Conference Finals.
Congrats to Julius and his family. It looks like they’ve picked the perfect spot to celebrate:
RIP D. Wayne Lukas
The horse racing world is mourning a legend. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas passed away on Sunday at his Louisville home after a battle with MRSA and chronic illness. Lukas, age 89, won 15 Triple Crown races in his career (including four Kentucky Derbys); only Bob Baffert has more. His 20 wins at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships are tied for the all-time mark. His legacy extends far beyond victories. “Coach” fostered one of the most impressive training trees in the sport, including Todd Pletcher, Dallas Stewart, and Brad Cox.
Tributes have been pouring in since the news broke. Mark Pope even joined in, writing on social media that Lukas was a “legendary winner and was always good to me.” May he rest in peace.
Happy birthday, Tubby Smith!
A very happy birthday to Orlando Tubby Smith, who turns 74 today. The former Kentucky coach seems to be making the most of retirement, frequenting Lexington more and more in the last few years, most recently for the Kentucky vs. Arkansas game in February. Instead of reliving that night, enjoy this old photo that Corey Price found of Tubby, further proof that Corey is undefeated when it comes to stuff like this.
KSR Happy Hour at 4 PM
It’s Monday, which means another KSR Happy Hour is coming your way this afternoon at 4 p.m. ET on the KSR YouTube Channel. Drew Franklin is out west doing out west things, so Nick Roush and Jack Pilgrim will join me to talk about the latest football recruiting news, today’s basketball interviews, and July 4th stuff. The upcoming holiday is further reason to enjoy a cold Country Boy beer on a Monday, right?
If you haven’t yet, subscribe to the channel. We’re only 122 subscribers away from 50,000!
KSR the Show is coming up
Get the holiday week started off right with a new episode of KSR the Show at 10 a.m. Based on Matt’s Twitter feed, I guarantee you they’ll talk about the Cincinnati Reds and the General Lee jumping the fountain in Somerset. If not for Beyoncé’s flying car malfunction during her concert in Houston, the General Lee would have been the most viral car on social media this weekend.
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