KSR Today: Three more sleeps until Toronto
Real-life Kentucky basketball will be played in the coming days, the Wildcats set to travel to Toronto to participate in the 2023 GLOBL JAM, a round-robin event with games against Team Germany, Team Canada and Team Africa, along with a fourth Bronze or Gold Medal game to close things out.
Kentucky will leave Sunday to explore the city and get acclimated with games set to begin Wednesday afternoon. Until then, the Wildcats are all-in on practice, John Calipari returning from the recruiting trail on Friday to rejoin his team for on-court work in Lexington.
The team even got a visit from former Wildcat Kellan Grady, who is currently playing for Chorale Roanne Basket of the LNB Pro A in France.
Assistant coaches Orlando Antigua, Chin Coleman and Chuck Martin remain on the road recruiting, while John Welch and Bruiser Flint are helping Coach Cal out on the practice floor in Lexington.
How are things going? Let the current Wildcats tell you themselves.
“We’re a very competitive team so at practice, we all like to compete against each other and make each other better every day,” DJ Wagner said. “So it’s definitely been some competitive practices.”
“I’m really excited because I’m really confident with our squad this year. I feel like we can accomplish a lot of big things that people think we can’t do so I just want to go out there and show people that we’re ready for it,” Justin Edwards added. “… Just based on how practices are going. We’re all competing and we all want to win as a whole. Nobody’s trying to be selfish.”
“These guys are competitive,” Antonio Reeves said. “They work really hard and you can just tell on the floor how better they’re getting each and every day…They’re gelling together so fast, that’s what it’s all about, being brothers out there and looking out for each other. I feel like just the maturity they’re gaining each and every day is fast so it’s definitely working out.”
After meeting the likes of DJ Wagner, Reed Sheppard, Adou Thiero, Ugonna Onyenso, Jordan Burks and Justin Edwards in recent days, the media also got the chance to sit down with Rob Dillingham, Tre Mitchell, Antonio Reeves and Joey Hart on Friday, rounding out available Wildcats leading up to Toronto.
Take a look at what the remaining players had to say:
TV rights secured for GLOBL JAM
Concerned about watching the Wildcats on television? UK Athletics (finally) has you covered, reaching an agreement with CBS Sports Network to broadcast the games live from Toronto.
All games but one will be shown in real-time, with one matchup (vs. Team Canada) shown on tape delay. Take a look at the complete schedule:
- July 12: Team USA (Kentucky) vs. Team Germany, 1:30 p.m. ET live on CBS Sports Network
- July 13: Team USA (Kentucky) vs. Team Canada, 8:00 p.m. ET (tape delay July 14 at 12:00 a.m. ET on CBS Sports Network)
- July 15: Team USA (Kentucky) vs. Team Africa, 1:30 p.m. ET live on CBS Sports Network
- July 16: Gold Medal Game (if Team USA is playing), 8:00 p.m. ET live on CBS Sports Network
And as always, Tom Leach and Jack “Goose” Givens will be on the radio call.
Looking for extra coverage? KSR will be your eyes and ears from Toronto, especially for the matchup on tape delay. We’ll arrive early Tuesday morning and set the scene throughout the week before leaving late Sunday evening.
Pool Play Concludes at Peach Jam
Peach Jam rolls on, with U17, U16 and U15 divisions down to eight teams in the quarterfinals, followed by semifinal action later Saturday. From there, the championship games are set to tip off on Sunday.
How are Kentucky’s top targets performing? Take a look at Friday recap:
2024 Kentucky Targets
- Tre Johnson (Houston Hoops) – 14 points, three rebounds, two assists
- Billy Richmond (New Jersey Scholars) – 22 points, four rebounds, two assists
- Karter Knox (Florida Rebels) – Eight points, two rebounds
- Boogie Fland (PSA Cardinals) – 11 points, five rebounds, two assists
- Jalil Bethea (Team Final) – 16 points, six rebounds
- Ahmad Nowell (Team Final) – 13 points, five rebounds, five assists
2025 Kentucky Targets
- Cooper Flagg (Maine United) – 23 points, 12 rebounds, seven blocks, three assists
- Meleek Thomas (NH Lightning) – Eight points, five rebounds
- Caleb Wilson (Georgia Stars) – 12 points, eight rebounds
- Darius Acuff (The Family) – Five points, six rebounds, two assists
2026 Kentucky Targets
- AJ Dybantsa (Expressions Elite) – 20 points, four assists, three rebounds
- Tyran Stokes (Vegas Elite) – 16 points, seven assists, six rebounds, five steals
NBA Summer League
It’s not just current and future Wildcats competing on the hardwood. Former Kentucky standouts are also playing in the NBA Summer League, a few suiting up on Friday and more to come on Saturday.
- Chris Livingston (Milwaukee Bucks) – Seven points (3-4 FG, 1-2 3PT), six rebounds, one steal in 26 minutes
- Shaedon Sharpe (Portland Trail Blazers) – 21 points (7-21 FG, 3-9 3PT, 4-5 FT), seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks in 32 minutes
- Sacha Killeya-Jones (Los Angeles Lakers) – 10 points (4-5 FG, 1-1 3PT), three rebounds, one steal, one block in 12 minutes
Saturday’s Schedule
- Boston Celtics (Mychal Mulder) vs. Miami Heat – 3 p.m. ET, NBA TV
- Oklahoma City Thunder (Cason Wallace) vs. Dallas Mavericks – 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
- Indiana Pacers (Oscar Tshiebwe, Isaiah Jackson) vs. Washington Wizards – 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2
- Milwaukee Bucks (Chris Livingston) vs. Phoenix Suns – 9 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, BBN. Go Cats.
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