2024-07-12- KSR - Hour 1

Ryan, Drew, and Shannon are joined by Tom Leach to talk UK sports and his favorite calls over the years.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Got Tom Leach coming in to day drum. Excited about
having Big Tom sitting there besides his talk little UK
story behind the scenes stuff.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Maybe that's right.

Speaker 3 (00:07):
We hear Tom on the radio often, but he's usually
calling the game that's in front of him or interviewing
someone else on the Leach Report. So excited to hear
some of what Tom has to say, and you know
he's probably been behind the scenes a little bit over there.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
I wonder if they.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
Try at about the currency.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
I'm gonna try, and we're gonna try.

Speaker 3 (00:22):
Some memories and then some uh something to look forward.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
To hopefully now UK Twitter ACI Basketball tweeted out a
picture this morning. They were practicing at Rupp Arena this
morning at up. What a novel idea that is actually
practice seen in the arena where you playing.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
The new floor. Looks good, They're they're on the new floor.
I love that they're in downtown lection and practicing. Did
you see the follow up tweet a few minutes later.
I haven't seen it. Yes, there is an update. Not
only did Mark Pope take the team down there, Tubby
Smith is at today's practice helping out so uh a
little more nineties nostalgia for our our Friday morning seeing
Tubby at practice.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
At Rupubb Shannon keeps getting better. If Tubby's involved down
there now in their practicing Ruppere.

Speaker 3 (01:03):
That's cool.

Speaker 4 (01:03):
I love first of all that they are actually practicing
where they play, would make sense to do that. But yeah,
Tubby being back, that makes it. That's the cherry on
top for the day, right.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
You know, the Tubby's been around some this summer. He
came and played in the with the Golf Classic Children
Charity Golf Classic. A couple of weeks ago.

Speaker 3 (01:21):
Heard he went to Jerry Tipton's Uh that's what Jerry
told us. He went to his book Uh book party. Yeah,
the book launch, the book launch. I love the fact
that Tubby's coming back and being a part now that
he's retiring and come back to the fold a little bit,
you know. I love that about it. It has been
seeing him around a lot, or not a lot, but
it's when we do in the big high point game
I think really set that off. The welcoming back, having

(01:43):
that celebration of Tubby and then he's been around a
lot since in retirement.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
Now we've told this before, but when Tubby left here,
he'd I think he always felt like Kentucky fans were
mad at him, and when they introduced him at halftime
of a UK football game, when he made the uk
A Hall of Fame, he told, some people, are they
going to boomy? You think they're you know, I'm you know,
they're not gonna clap? I mean, and he was serious.

(02:07):
I think he really thought the fan base had turned
against him. And if you were there that day, I
got goosebumps. The crowd roar for Tubby and you could
tell he was really touched by it. And I think
ever since then it's been nothing but love.

Speaker 3 (02:22):
I remember that, and I mean I wasn't surprised by
the reception he got, which made me kind of a
little sad that he would think that there would be
anything other than cheers. I mean, a lot of time
had passed since at the end of his career was
as you know, exactly everybody wanted it. But the man
won a national championship and had some great teams here
in likeson. So I wasn't surprised at all that he's
been getting the reception he has back and likes it

(02:43):
in a little said to think he didn't even think
anyone would boom.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
He's such a good guy.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
But I think he was generally concerned that he disappointed
people here in his final years and they would remember that.
But Shannon, it was awesome. They applauded for him. He's
now in the UK Hall of Fame. They honoraty went
during the high Point Game last year. So all nothing
but love now.

Speaker 4 (03:01):
Yeah, I feel like, you know, after time goes by
a little bit, you know, things he'll a little And
I realized that he did a good job here at Kentucky.
But I think that fans kind of just got tired
of the ten losses every year, right, they call him
ten loss Tuvey. But I think that he is he
has beloved when you look back, you know, on his
time here at Kentucky.

Speaker 2 (03:22):
Somebody is calling the Avis and Glass tex Machine right now.

Speaker 3 (03:25):
It happened a few times when I had the phone.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
The other there, it said, tex Machine texted.

Speaker 3 (03:29):
I'm still a little thrown off by I don't want
to spoil any videos, but Mario had an activity this morning.
I even left my coffee on the table over there.
We had an event before the show.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
It's kind of cool.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
Mario posted probably later today, little exercise we went through
this morning with Mario.

Speaker 3 (03:42):
Yeah, if anyone's ever seen, I think the football team
has done a few times. But Ron and I walked in,
there was a camera on us with a sign. We
had to answer a question on the fly. I'm still
a little threw off my routine.

Speaker 2 (03:52):
Well, our answers are very indicative of who we are.

Speaker 1 (03:55):
Young guy gave young players, old guy gave old players.
Here in the middle, you gave a mix a little.
Oh so it worked out pretty well. Uh, go back
to basketball.

Speaker 5 (04:03):
You know.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
We we mentioned UK practicing this point at Rapparena with
Pope and the staff. He was at rock Hill, South
Carolina last night all day yesterday doing some scouting.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
You wonder if this guy's even been able to sleep, because,
I mean he's had so much going on. He's got
to come here, get his staff ready, get a roster ready,
move his family here, get a house, move into his office.
I mean, it's just non stop recruiting.

Speaker 6 (04:29):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (04:29):
But yeah, they were down at rock rock Hill, North
South Carolina. There's a big tournament down there. Brandon Ramsey's
down there for taking Portraio and he was doing like live.
Zach Gagan's going also Brandon was doing like live updates
throughout the day of the guys Kentucky's looking at and
what those guys did during the game.

Speaker 2 (04:45):
Was kind of cool.

Speaker 3 (04:46):
Yeah, that's the uh A Dudas event down there. It
would be some names Kentucky's looking for. But Pope, I
mean somebody's in South Carolina. He was in Turkey, uh
th past weekend. Yeah, he posted a picture from London
on the fourth of July. I I wish we could
see like a log of where he's actually been in
what he's done since he's landed. No, actually, I want
to see how much he slept because I bet that's
that's not a big number at all. It has even

(05:08):
seen his new house. The man's been everywhere.

Speaker 2 (05:10):
He was in South America when Jasper gotts.

Speaker 3 (05:12):
Right South Africa.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
I love that.

Speaker 3 (05:14):
We didn't talk about this yet, but he took the
took him over to the football stadium. Yeah, threw on
the helmet, had the guys running around. That looks like
a lot of fun.

Speaker 2 (05:21):
That's awesome to do that.

Speaker 1 (05:22):
You know, if nothing else, you're you're bonding that bridge,
so to speak, between the football team and the basketball team.

Speaker 2 (05:27):
But yet for the basketball guys.

Speaker 1 (05:29):
Of course, they love putting on the throwing the ball
around and running some routes and doing stuff like that.

Speaker 2 (05:34):
They love every second of it.

Speaker 3 (05:35):
Yeah, we saw Bred trying to throw it like a quarterback,
you know, throw a spiral. He's sitting there saying I
can't do it, and Pope's encourage him. Yeah, you got it.
And then they played what looked like a version of
ultimate frisbee with the football out there. Colin Chandler might
have a little game.

Speaker 2 (05:47):
He's got the arm, he had the best arm.

Speaker 3 (05:49):
Obviously made some catches. He kicked a field goal. Uh,
that kid's athletic. But you know, even if that wasn't
intentional of what's happened in the past, it was cool
seeing the basketball team over there on the football facility
and then Pope throwing on that helmet.

Speaker 1 (06:01):
Well, that's what the one thing maybe he shouldn't have done,
maybe till the helmet on. And we spent all a
lot of the show yesterday making fun of Pat Kelsey
putting on the astronaut helmet and then Mark Pope puts
on the football helmet.

Speaker 3 (06:10):
So it's exciting times over there, though, And that's why
I'm excited to hear from Tom today because we're seeing them.
You know, we watched them step onto Reparena in a video,
and they've shown videos of guys just in shooting drills.

Speaker 1 (06:22):
But I need to know more, well, I need to
know what's really happened over there. Well, the video that
came out was like two days ago from practice.

Speaker 2 (06:29):
It was only like a minute. But yet my biggest
takeaway was Kurk Crisa is a shooter.

Speaker 1 (06:35):
Oh yeah, dude, hit I think that in that just
in that short video clip, he hit like three and
it was a guy in his face every time.

Speaker 3 (06:41):
That's what he does. He can shoot. He's an excellent
passer too. I mean get excited about him. But you
want to talk about shooting. Did you hear what Andrew
Carr said yesterday about Travis Perry. He said, in one drill,
he looked up and Travis Perry had taken six hundred shots.
He was shooting eighty five percent. He's like, that's crazy,
and then he realized it was like all threes. Now,
I mean, this is just open gym shooting by himself,

(07:02):
but eighty five percent on six hundred and then he
said he hit fifty nine in.

Speaker 2 (07:05):
A row from the corner, nine in a row.

Speaker 3 (07:08):
I don't know what Travis Perry is gonna become, but
there's a little part of me getting excited for him
to surprise everyone.

Speaker 4 (07:14):
Now.

Speaker 3 (07:14):
I don't know if I don't want to get crazy
and put unreal expectations on him with anything compared to
what Reed just did, but I'm getting prepared for him
to play a little more than people expected.

Speaker 1 (07:24):
Shan, we talked about Travis Perry on the pre showing.
You and I both said, dude, he's a scorer. Man.
There's gonna be a there's gonna be a spot and
a time for him, and people are gonna realize how
good he this guy really is.

Speaker 4 (07:33):
If he can shoot like that in a game, there's
no way he can keep him on the bench, right,
I mean, the guy that knocked down fifty nine that's
that's ridiculous. Like most people can't knock down fifty nine
free throws, let alone three point shots. So I get
mad when people say he'll never get off the bench.
You wait, that kid's gonna play and he's gonna be
He's gonna be a good player someday.

Speaker 3 (07:51):
And I don't know all the other guys on the team. Heck,
I don't even know Travis that well, but I know
a little bit about his background, and I can't imagine
there's too many people out working him right now because
that's always been background and what's made him stand out
is how hard he works. So now he's got all
that technology in the Noah shooting system, we might end
up with just an elite lights out shooter that you
can't leave open.

Speaker 2 (08:10):
Well, Bray you is the one shooters.

Speaker 3 (08:14):
They keep trying to make him the baseball player.

Speaker 2 (08:15):
Bobby A brave, Bobby A brave A Breyer, b r
e A Breyer.

Speaker 3 (08:20):
There's no A you don't no, you're you're You're great,
a syllable that doesn't exist. Breyer.

Speaker 1 (08:26):
You can shoot, Kerk Chris cursachrisa curse, CRISA can shoot, Travis,
Perry can call, Team can shoot.

Speaker 2 (08:34):
For the most part, Car is a good shooter for
the four. So I I you can't be excited.

Speaker 1 (08:39):
Is there anything else in a little video clip that
caught your eye that was released to a couple of
days ago.

Speaker 3 (08:44):
No, it's like they're very intentional, was just giving us
a little bit. We'll just see a guy take like
one shot. There goes the next guy and he's taking
a shot. One person I've gotten excited just from interviews
and seeing a little glimpse is uh Tega tron O Tega.
Oh way, I guess we're calling him Tegatron now another
guy that is when Pope was adding ten players in
three weeks back in May. You know, we're flying one

(09:07):
after another, and I feel like he kind of flew
under the radar when we're looking at that roster. I
don't know where he'll fit in, probably gonna be coming
off the bench, but that's a guy. I'm excited to
see what he brings the table, just a little different
than everyone else with his athleticism and physicality and little defense.

Speaker 1 (09:19):
I think the big competition is gonna be who's gonna
be the point guard. I think with Jackson Robinson and
Braya and Andrew Carr, those three guys are probably got
their spots locked up.

Speaker 3 (09:30):
But the point guard, I think Lamont Butler is your
is your point guard.

Speaker 2 (09:33):
But if Chris is that good and he can show.

Speaker 3 (09:36):
There's gonna be a lot of sharing. Like in the
cal Era, dudes were playing thirty something minutes a game,
that is gone. That is that is Pope didn't have
anyone last year average thirty minutes a game. There's a
bunch of dudes getting somewhere in the twenties. So sure,
I think Butler there might Heck, it could change throughout
the year. I think Lamont Butler's probably gonna be the
starter right away at point guard, but it could be situational.

(09:57):
He could be passed. I think we're gonna see a
lot of guys play a lot of minutes and different roles.

Speaker 1 (10:01):
And he's mentioned Taka Tron. Is he more of a
point guard? He think he'll play we win two or three? Yeah, yeah,
two or three.

Speaker 3 (10:08):
Hopefully a good defender because that's what this team that's
gonna be a big question mark.

Speaker 1 (10:13):
The guys that uh Brandon Ramsey talked about down at
rock Hill that Mark Pope was looking at me and
we mentioned the guys from Kentucky, Jasper Johnson and Malachi Marino,
two top prospects out of Kentucky. Malachi is dan in
rock Hill, I think right now, but there's some other
guys at Kentucky.

Speaker 2 (10:27):
I want to make sure.

Speaker 1 (10:28):
People are aware of Cayden Magwood, who's from Louisville played
at Oak Hill last year, and I think he's gonna
play at a different prep school this year. But he's
got offers from like Alabama, Auburn, a bunch of schools,
and he's you know, poping staff watched him get Pope
and Heart are down there. They watched him yesterday. Caden

(10:48):
Magwood's the name to keep an eye on.

Speaker 3 (10:50):
Yeah, there's it's crazy. We went for a long time
without in state talent. Now it seems to be a
little bit every year. You got to keep an eye
on and hope they get an offer. And obviously signed
three in the last few years. So uh yeah, the
Kentucky So it's on the come up both sports really
and then in the next year before you move on.
I wanted to ask you one thing you mentioned Jasper Johnson.
Why is the internet worrying a little bit about him?

(11:12):
Has there been any movement? You've got any scoop?

Speaker 2 (11:14):
I don't. I don't have any scoop.

Speaker 3 (11:16):
There's just a lot of tweets yesterday about Carolina, not
like reporters, just fans worrying a little bit.

Speaker 2 (11:20):
I don't have any scoop.

Speaker 1 (11:21):
But you know, Jasper Tookie's visits, went to Illinois, went
to Alabama in North Carolina, So I don't know. You know,
he's trying to do what's best for him. I know,
bug your things out. It's best for Kentucky to keep
him here. I know he's got to do what he's
got to do. But we can't let that gal leave
the state, especially when your dad played here, your grandpa
used to work here, your uncle played here.

Speaker 7 (11:41):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (11:42):
In the twenty twenty sixth class, there's a guy named
Taylan Kenney who's played at Newport High School. Newport almost
won the All A Classic, made a big run in
the sweet sixteen. He's a twenty twenty six kid, but
he's getting offers from everybody right now too. I think
just this week Villanova and Oregon offered him. So that's
a guy to keep an eye on in next year's class.

Speaker 3 (12:01):
And not speaking to him specifically, but a lot of
the guys we've mentioned, and even like a Trent Noah,
that phone wasn't gonna ring until Pope got the job
and he had that press conference that he's gonna make
a priority to keep guys home. You know, Trent Noah
was headed to South Carolina until Pope got here and
things flipped. So I think we're gonna have to get
used to seeing a lot more Kentucky, which is what
we wanted for a while.

Speaker 1 (12:22):
All Right, Ryan, Drew, and Shannon, we're here. We'll take
your calls. Eight five nine two eight h two to
eight seven. That's the Clark's Puppet Shop phone number. Eight
five nine two two to eight seven. How about we
do like a ask anything Friday? Okay, we haven't really
done anything like that this summers.

Speaker 5 (12:35):
Do you want to?

Speaker 3 (12:37):
I like that at some point, maybe not today, but
I miss Shannon's buzzer. It's kind of had the summer
off as well.

Speaker 6 (12:43):
Yeah, it did. It went to Europe. It's on vacation
with that. He took it with him.

Speaker 1 (12:46):
We can do both first time whatever you all want
to do Friday, and and a thirty second buzzer.

Speaker 3 (12:53):
You're driving.

Speaker 1 (12:54):
Okay, let's do it. Well, let's have some fun today.
Except when Tom Leach is here, he can talk as
long as he wants.

Speaker 6 (12:58):
Well, there is a slight hiccup with that.

Speaker 4 (13:01):
Uh, currently I can't open the calls screener to get
phone calls, so that might be a problem.

Speaker 1 (13:06):
Well, that would be a slight problem if we're trying
to take phone calls and we can use the buzzer.

Speaker 6 (13:11):
We're working on it right now, So if you're trying
to call in, bear with us.

Speaker 3 (13:15):
We'll be hard to ask anything in buzz People with
no funks, well, you.

Speaker 1 (13:18):
May have to try the Avis and Glass text machine
five O two seven three five three six eight oh, Ryan,
Drew and Shannon.

Speaker 2 (13:23):
We'll right back when we figure out. I'm gonna take
you Sports Radio.

Speaker 6 (13:25):
To talk to Maut Jones and the crew.

Speaker 4 (13:26):
Call the Clark's Pumping Shot phone line at eight five
nine two eight oh twenty two eighty seven or one
eight hundred and six oh six forty two sixty three
and send us the Kentucky brand At tweet of the
day by a tweeting Matt at Ky Sports Radio, we.

Speaker 1 (13:40):
Just missed our Whiskey Thief song of the day, little
Darius Rutgers. We came back from break, so thank you
to Whiskey Thief. And maybe maybe we'll see the folks
at Whiskey Thief maybe soon. Maybe maybe I don't know,
all right. From the Avis and Glass text machine, here's
a question. It says if you could sit down for
one hour and have a conversation with a sports figure
past or present, and nothing is all off limits. Who

(14:01):
would it be and why so who's.

Speaker 5 (14:05):
To do it?

Speaker 3 (14:06):
We're laughing because Mario got Tom with this game, got it,
got him on camera.

Speaker 5 (14:10):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (14:10):
Uh, any sports legend, let's.

Speaker 1 (14:12):
Do any sports legend and then a UK person. So
you said an hour of just off the record conversation,
nothing off limits.

Speaker 3 (14:21):
Tiger's high on that list. Tiger's got some tails.

Speaker 8 (14:26):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (14:27):
For some reason, Larry Bird comes to mind.

Speaker 5 (14:29):
Good.

Speaker 2 (14:29):
I feel like.

Speaker 3 (14:30):
He's got some stories.

Speaker 2 (14:32):
Good call.

Speaker 3 (14:33):
I'll say those two for now. I think on a
little more. But Tiger's certainly my leader.

Speaker 2 (14:37):
Reggie Miller.

Speaker 3 (14:38):
I thought about Reggie. I just as much as I
love him, I don't know if he would have as
much of the interesting stuff to say is the other two?
I mean, he's He's on my list of people out
like an hour with.

Speaker 1 (14:49):
You could go the other way and say, like Jackie Robinson,
somebody that has some funny, real historical historical from the
what about from a UK angle? Look at Shannon's.

Speaker 6 (14:59):
Were gonna count wrestlers as athletes or no?

Speaker 8 (15:02):
Sure?

Speaker 2 (15:02):
Yeah, anybody.

Speaker 4 (15:03):
I feel like I could sit down and have a
year long conversation with a guy like Rick Flair, you know,
who probably got stories to tell for for a long time.
If we're going outside of the wrestling world, though, how
about how about Mike Tyson?

Speaker 2 (15:17):
Oh, that would be a good I feel like that
would be a good conversation, would be a good one.

Speaker 4 (15:20):
Actually, yeah, little so, Yeah, I mean I think the
guy's gotta be a little.

Speaker 6 (15:24):
Crazy, you know, like Tyson kind of checks that box.

Speaker 2 (15:27):
What about Uk.

Speaker 3 (15:31):
Rex came to mind pretty good.

Speaker 1 (15:33):
Billy Gillespie, yes, Rick Patino, Patino, Yeah, how about Tubby?

Speaker 6 (15:40):
Tubby would be a good conversation.

Speaker 3 (15:42):
Really, any of the coaches just getting all their secrets. Yeah,
I went to Rex for more of just other things too.
Rex probably had a good good time here in Kentucky.

Speaker 1 (15:50):
As far as players go, Rex may be the answer.
I can't think of another play really in this.

Speaker 3 (15:56):
Job, you know, anyone fairly recent We probably have talked
to them. We haven't had an hour off the record,
but we have interviewed them a little bit. So I
was trying to go back aways. Even maybe somebody from
like the seventies, just when times were different, maybe get
some stories. Oh that's a that's a good one Too's.

Speaker 2 (16:11):
A good question. You got one?

Speaker 1 (16:13):
Well, no, I was gonna say, uh, Rex probably Yeah,
I'm going with Rex. I can't even think.

Speaker 3 (16:19):
Is there like a controversial era where you wanted more
answers like okay, Randolph and just tell me about the fact.

Speaker 2 (16:24):
So that's Chris Mills. Oh of course, that's a good one. Yeah,
we could do him.

Speaker 3 (16:29):
So you could pick someone where you're just trying to
settle an unsolved mystery that we fans have wondered about
over the years, Shannony.

Speaker 6 (16:36):
No one another. Well, let's say we're talking to players.

Speaker 3 (16:41):
Yeah, one that might have answers to a UK mystery
you've always wondered.

Speaker 2 (16:45):
Yeah, we need to get a player during the Gillispie era.

Speaker 3 (16:50):
We we had, we had Dusty Mills his hell All book. Yeah,
maybe him.

Speaker 6 (16:57):
Trying to think of who else?

Speaker 2 (16:58):
Maybe you got a good answer. Well, we could ask
for you to call us, but our phone lines are
parmentis for dow Thres're going.

Speaker 3 (17:04):
Well two to eighteen me to tell you about draft kings. Well,
we're just telling me about drafting while we're watch Shannon's
fixing the phones. Yeah, you know why if Shannon's fixing
the phones, Ryan, we could be watching sports. There's a
lot going on right now. Isco Championship down the road
in Nicholasville. Wimbledon's going on, and if you want to
bet on those, it's super easy to get started on
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(17:24):
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(17:46):
co slash base from.

Speaker 1 (17:48):
The avisi of last text machine because that's the only
communication we've got with the people listening right now. For Ryan,
with your love of sports and being a coach's son,
why didn't you go into the coaching profession.

Speaker 2 (17:58):
Funny story.

Speaker 1 (17:59):
Almost when I was at Kentucky Wesley and I was
taking education classes and I think I graduated, I still
needed to maybe a couple classes and then do my
student teaching.

Speaker 2 (18:08):
So I was close.

Speaker 1 (18:10):
So I'm working in Evansville, working weekends in TV, not
making any money, working horrible hours. I thought, I'm going
back to school. I'm gonna finish this up. I'm gonna
be going to teaching and coaching. Channel eighteen called came
to Lexington. Rest is history, I mean, but I was close.
I was close to quitting the Channel fourteen in Evansville
and going back into school to get my teaching degree.

Speaker 3 (18:33):
Follow up question, Let's say you did that. What would
your life be right now? What would Brian Lemon be
doing on July twelfth of twenty twenty four at ten
twenty six am, actually nine twenty six am. You'd probably
be living on Central Time.

Speaker 1 (18:45):
I probably would have my Pike Central Charger baseball team
out doing some summer league baseball stuff. Yeah, and then
my basketball team would probably do some conditioning. I'll probably
be baseball and basketball coach at Pike Central.

Speaker 5 (18:56):
So yeah, it's a.

Speaker 1 (18:57):
Funny how your life can turn turned just by one
thing and your path changes completely.

Speaker 3 (19:03):
It's not too late to start coaching. I'm sure there's
some program around here that could use a little.

Speaker 2 (19:07):
Help of it.

Speaker 1 (19:07):
I coached my boys in summer baseball and basketball. I've
coached him in football.

Speaker 2 (19:11):
I love it.

Speaker 3 (19:12):
You coach, Devin Key, Dane Key, Jack Berries, Damien Harris.
Everyone's success started with Ryan Lemon's teachings.

Speaker 2 (19:19):
A five nine two two eight seven.

Speaker 1 (19:21):
When we get our our phone line going, got a
couple of good other suggestions for an interview Severe Wheeler.

Speaker 3 (19:28):
He came to mind. It would be I have a
few questions for Severe.

Speaker 1 (19:32):
I have certainly several questions for Severe Wheeler. Yeah, Ryan
Harrow another good one. That's another good one. Uh Enus Canter,
you might get him. His brother will be here next week.
You'm sure this might be coming. Maybe we could get
him on the airwaves. But those are three that came
in on the Aviage and Glass Texas seeing that are
good good choices. George is another good one because he

(19:55):
played during the Gillespiana and he can one of the
bathrooms ston wasn't he a bathroom stall? Eric Manual? Oh yeah,
that's another good one from the Eddie Sutton era that
did all that. So if you got some more Sean
Kemp although.

Speaker 3 (20:11):
Yeah, I want that answer, maybe more than any Alex legion.

Speaker 2 (20:16):
Alex Legion is another good one. Yes.

Speaker 1 (20:19):
See, once we start thinking about it, there are some
good choices out there to who you want to pick
for your interview.

Speaker 3 (20:23):
Hey, there's still a couple of weeks left in the
UH in the summer summer shows, maybe we could book
one of these guys for an hour.

Speaker 1 (20:29):
Tell all, okay, here's one for any athlete, not just UK,
any athlete. O. J. Simpson, Well he's dead, Well, I
I said, Jackie Robinson said. Historical could be pastor present.

Speaker 3 (20:42):
Yeah, I think I think. I think I already know
what he did. I don't need to know more from him.

Speaker 1 (20:46):
There was an OJ thing on with those dateline things
when you and I want yes, we call them traditions
at home, and that is I've seen the OJ one
two or three times. I sat and watched it again.
Once it comes on, it's like you can't believe that
all that happened during that time.

Speaker 3 (21:01):
I bet Denis Rodman would be fun to talk to
you for an hour. It was a good one. Maybe
like how was Vegas all those times? Michael Jordan, It's
fun exercise. Tom Leach might even be able to reveal
maybe an uncut hour. With Tom Leach, we could get
more of these answers than talking to the people themselves.

Speaker 1 (21:16):
Well, Tom Leach is here. He's the voice of the
Kentucky Wild Cast. Tom Leach joins us here on Kentucky
Sports Radio. Before we get into the football, before we
get into basketball. Got I gotta get this picture of
you a Bourbon County high school. Look at that batting
stance you've got right there, Corey Price set this picture
of you?

Speaker 2 (21:31):
Is that Was that just a pose? Or did you
really bat that way?

Speaker 7 (21:34):
Uh? No, I was just like actually when I saw
that that was for a picture of the bat would
have been higher and my left leg would have been
over more or no right leg.

Speaker 5 (21:44):
I'm sorry, but it says.

Speaker 1 (21:45):
Tom's outside interests include broadcasting Bourbon County basketball.

Speaker 2 (21:49):
Games for w b g R local radio station.

Speaker 1 (21:52):
He plans to attend the University of Kentucky as a
communications major, with hopes of becoming the next k Wood
Ledford as the voice of the Kentucky WELCT.

Speaker 2 (22:00):
You called your shots as a senior in high school.

Speaker 5 (22:03):
Yeah, and I was very naive and very stupid time
and got very lucky.

Speaker 3 (22:10):
Very accurate though, very accurate.

Speaker 2 (22:11):
That's pretty impressive. So have you been to basketball practice?
Can you give us some tips? Can you what do
you see? Are you allowed to talk about it?

Speaker 7 (22:19):
Tom? Yes, yes, I have watched, and you know I
can talk in general terms. I think because Goose and
Cameron were on my show in this past week, both
talking about things they saw. Uh, and I think the
players talked a little bit about it yesterday. The one
thing getting the ball from back court to front court
in three seconds. Goose was talking about that yesterday and

(22:41):
how I'm kind of stealing. I was stole Pratt's stories,
soa I steal Goose's stories and Cameron stories. They wanted
to shoot it quickly, and uh, you know, if you're open,
take the shot, and then anybody Yeah, I mean, I mean.

Speaker 5 (22:58):
If Mario Williams is not gonna shoot from but you know.

Speaker 7 (23:01):
Pretty much yeah, And if you're you're open within you know,
it's a shot the offense dictates you take, which is
gonna be pretty much any open shot for most of
the guys, especially threes, then take them and you know,
they get the floor spread out. That's what I think
they're really looking to do is get space because they
want to A lot of this is about cutting and.

Speaker 5 (23:25):
Moving the ball.

Speaker 7 (23:26):
I don't think they want a ton of dribbling, so
they want the floor space. Then you do that by
any being able to take and make threes, and then
you can make you know, cuts behind that and ball
comes off long, you rebound it, kick it over to
somebody for another open three. So a lot of it
is just about you know, finding ways to maybe it's
a dribble penetration at times, to kick it out, set

(23:49):
up somebody for an open three. So it's gonna be
I think a lot of fun to watch. I think
the ball is gonna move well. I think they're gonna
you know, uh, a lot of movement of players and
ball in the basketball and then a lot of threes.

Speaker 3 (24:02):
And Pope's press conference a week or two ago, he
mentioned how Jackson Robinson will butt in and Nick push
him aside, explain to his teammates this is what he means.
This where he wants you. Have you seen any of
that leadership or any other guys that are communicating really well.

Speaker 5 (24:14):
I didn't see as much of that the day I
was there.

Speaker 7 (24:16):
I was just there one day because first when they
first got started, I was on vacation, so I didn't
Goose and Cameron have seen more than I have. But
that's what I thought would be the case. With Jackson Robinson.
It was great to get him for many reasons, one
of which is that it's you know, somebody that has
that knows what he's saying, that can exactly what you're

(24:38):
talking about kind of translate a little bit. I have
said this, when I hear Mark talking about the offense
and see it your players talking about it, it reminds
me a lot.

Speaker 5 (24:50):
It's crossing sports of the way they talked.

Speaker 7 (24:53):
About the air raid offense in those early days, and
their their thing was always throw it to the grass.
That's what they coach the quarterbacks to do, Tim Couch
and then Dusty throw it to the grass. And that
meant scan the field and find open space where you
had a one on one match up and throw the
ball there. They again, it was all about getting you know,

(25:15):
athletes in space and where you could make a play,
and they had you know, Mommy always said, you know,
he may come watch his practices because they weren't gonna
see much because they really didn't have many plays because
a lot of it's dictated off. You're out, you're Craig
East and he's Tim Couch and you guys kind of
see the same thing and it's maybe a nonverbal communication

(25:36):
or a nod of the head or something, but it's
just through thousands of repetitions and you know, understanding each other.
And it sounds a lot like that to me with
this basketball system that marks bringing in from b YU,
where it's just a lot of reading the defense, reading
your teammates, kind of playing off each other and not

(25:56):
a lot of you know, set plays.

Speaker 5 (25:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (25:58):
Now, we always used to joke that you had the
easiest post game job in the world with Calca. He
would come out, you'd say, cal how to go, and
then he'd talked for thirty minutes.

Speaker 2 (26:08):
You know, he'd take off. At home games. At home
everybody always told every always said that there was at
home game.

Speaker 7 (26:12):
Yeah, at road games, he's looking to catch the plane,
you know, get to the bus and get to the plane.

Speaker 5 (26:16):
And that was tough for you turn shorter interviews.

Speaker 1 (26:19):
He had to get what like three segments out of
him on those postgame interviews on the road.

Speaker 7 (26:23):
It was to get him to talk the funny and
and Cal was was very good, very professional through all that.
But the funniest story was the beat the Baylor game.
The five overtime, five overtime game wouldn't end and so
then Kentucky and Baylor play and Kentucky had blew a
lead and lost late. And so at about one thirty

(26:46):
in the morning, Uh, and Cal went in if you
were there at the news conference lasted about a minute
and a half, and then I went into his office
off the podium there.

Speaker 5 (26:56):
And and he just turned said, yeah, one question for
three segments.

Speaker 3 (27:03):
So we got three questions. But any hour that night
there that that felt like four in the morning. We're
in that uh the AT and C Center for O
my goodness, I want to go back to that magical
Sunday and Reperena back in April where you hosted the
Mark Pope introductory press conference. Did you in a million

(27:24):
years think that that's what you would be looking at
from that stage?

Speaker 7 (27:28):
No, I mean it's I think they were looking at
maybe five to seven thousand people, think you know what
I thought, they the probably university officials and people up arena,
and you know, then you saw the people lined up
outside early in the day, yes, and I'm thinking, well,
maybe they can, maybe they could, you know, but I

(27:50):
thought was could they fill up the lower bowl, which
was as I think, the around ten or eleven. And
but then the way when I got there and saw
that it was set up, I walked out. It was
about a half hour before the news conference, and it
was full on one side that the podium was facing,
and all the way to the top it was about
half the arena.

Speaker 5 (28:10):
And I thought, boy, that is incredibly impressive.

Speaker 7 (28:14):
And then I turned to the right and behind the
podium and you see people running like you know when
they used to have general admission concerts and they'd opened
the door.

Speaker 3 (28:24):
They were spring you were not exaggerated. People were spreading
to find a spot.

Speaker 7 (28:28):
Yes, And I thought, wow, they're gonna get some people
here on this other side too, And it just kept
growing and growing, and that'll be something people will talk about,
you know, for years, you know, people who were there
certainly or saw it, and especially if this works as
well as we all hope it will, that's gonna just
be so finally remembered as kind of the launching point,

(28:50):
and it was amazing. I actually sent this to Mitch
and I've told this story before. They I guess was
Friday morning. It was Thursday night the story started to
break that it was going to be Mark Pope, and
Friday morning, a listener sent me a note on x Twitter,
this is a disaster, Fira Barnhardt. Four hours later, same guy,

(29:12):
I'm on board with this.

Speaker 5 (29:13):
That's roll.

Speaker 3 (29:14):
I think that was about a ninety percent of the
fan base myself, and it's been rolling ever since.

Speaker 1 (29:20):
So what is what do you foresee as Pope's biggest
obstacle he has to get over all? The biggest sticking
point for his in year one?

Speaker 7 (29:30):
I think probably just I think he gets probably a
little bit of a honeymoon as much as you ever
could for Kentucky basketball coach about any sport these days.
But uh so, I think the biggest challenge is just
blending all those different guys. I mean, can you know,
get two guys that were the walk Ons that were

(29:50):
here last year and he had Jackson Robinson that played
for Mark. But I mean they're coming from all these
different backgrounds and you're putting them into a system where
it depends heavily on how well they learned to play
with and off each other, and so they've got to
develop that chemistry, bond, whatever term you want to use
on court chemistry. I think, yeah, it seems like a

(30:12):
really good group of guys, and they're older. I think
the you know, off the court, they'll get along well.
Certainly all the signs are good on that, but the
on court chemistry, how good can that get?

Speaker 3 (30:24):
Do you have any we like getting some of the
behind the scenes stuff from you. Do you have any
Mark Pope memories from before he was the head coach,
any younger Mark Pope interactions or anything like that. Maybe
as a player, just him popping in.

Speaker 7 (30:36):
I wouldn't was it doing the game at that at
the time, So I was just covering the team, you know,
covering news conferences, and I didn't go to practices then.
So I don't have any particularly great stories. Ryan and
my wife and those folks from Channel eight teen would
have the best stories, because yeah, my wife, Robin was
working in eli X at that time as an anchor

(30:57):
and she went on some of the road trips covering
the Cats that you guys were on in the button days,
Crazy button days. People want those? Mark and Mark worked
there for a year. I think it was about one year.
Didn't he season in ninety seven? Run? Yeah after because
he finished in ninety six and getting started school.

Speaker 5 (31:15):
Hadn't gone to the NBA yet any of that stuff. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (31:17):
Another highlight from that Sunday when Cutler popped up for
a question.

Speaker 2 (31:20):
Yeah, hey, that's my guy. Uh, we got to take
a break.

Speaker 1 (31:23):
But we've got all kinds of technical issues going on.
Apparently our six thirty am stream has gone down. Oh no,
our phone lines are down. Shannon, are you Shannon down?

Speaker 3 (31:35):
I'm still up.

Speaker 6 (31:36):
I'm still here.

Speaker 2 (31:37):
Are Is there any update on what's going on at
the LAP and the phone line?

Speaker 4 (31:41):
I didn't even know about LAP till you just mentioned it.
But phone lines are still down.

Speaker 1 (31:45):
Day visial Lastepe scheet is full of LAP radios messed
up and their stream is down. So so if you're
listing on another stream, thank you, hokey. I can't call in,
so we'll keep Tom Leach for another segment. We'll take
our break. Uh, since giveing the phone number because you
can't call in. This is Ryan Drew and Shannon and
Tom Leach here on Kentucky's Port Radio to.

Speaker 6 (32:05):
Talk to Matt Jones and the crew.

Speaker 4 (32:06):
Call the Clark's Pumping Shot phone line at eight five
nine eight oh twenty two eighty seven or one eight
hundred and six oh six forty two sixty three and
send us the Kentucky Brandet tweet of the day by
tweeting Matt at k WI Sports Radio.

Speaker 2 (32:20):
Playing to Tom Leach's Willhouse right there with that song
Wind and Fire.

Speaker 4 (32:23):
It's almost like I've produced Tom Leach's shows before and
kind of know that Tom Leach likes when it comes
to music.

Speaker 5 (32:29):
It's amazing. You must have ESPN.

Speaker 2 (32:32):
Shannon has produced her show for what ten years? Uh,
it was a long time. Yeah, been together a long time.

Speaker 1 (32:39):
Okay, Apparently the WLAP stream is up and working now
and the phone lines are working now, so Shannon fixed it.

Speaker 2 (32:45):
Shannon fixed both problems. Great job, son, Thank you, thank you.

Speaker 6 (32:48):
It was hard work, but you know I got it
done just for you guys.

Speaker 1 (32:52):
So if you want to call in and ask Tom
a question eight five nine two eight h two to
eight seven, we now can take your calls. A lot
of questions though, on the message board for Tom Drew,
what do you got.

Speaker 3 (33:01):
Yeah, a lot of people want to know more about
just the broadcasting one. Actually don't have the name here,
but they're asking just like a what kind of preparation
goes into a regular game? I guess it could be
either sport, basketball or football. What's it look like for
Tom leading up to a game?

Speaker 5 (33:14):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (33:14):
I used to get that question so often that I
actually timed it a couple of different times over the years,
and football was about twenty three twenty four hours over
the course of the week. And that's yeah, it's not
twenty four hours of sitting at a computer. That's you know,
going to practices and then you know, reading about the

(33:36):
other team and coming up. I do my spotting board
that's the depth chart to the top two or three
at each position for each team offense and defense on
one side, like home or Kentucky offense opponent defense, and
then vice versa on the other side, and do all
that by hand because it helps with the memorization process,

(33:59):
and then try to come up with with notes nuggets
of things you can drop in. Tom Hammond, I remember
telling me one time, you know, you prepare as much
as you can come up with with knowing that you
might if you're lucky, you get fifty percent of it in,
but you just don't know what fifty percent, so.

Speaker 5 (34:18):
You have it already.

Speaker 7 (34:19):
And then when Jim host hired me Wisard Jim. One
of the things Jim talked about was, you know, the
the beat writer, which I think may have been Jerry
in those days. Jerry Tipton may have been doing football
in ninety seven. If not, it was probably John Clay
and he's anyway, he said, whoever the beat writer is

(34:40):
gonna in the newspaper the next day on Sunday morning,
they're going to have all these notes that you know,
it was Tim Couch's six three hundred yard passing game,
or it was R two Spinner's second one hundred yard
rushing game. And he said the goal should be they
shouldn't read anything in the paper that they didn't already
hear from you today with podcast. Yeah, so kind of
just to be ready for a lot of that stuff.

(35:02):
And then Ralph Hacker was great in terms of kind
of the way I kind of set up the board
and everything. A lot of this is about football because
it takes a greater amount of prep. But I've got
you know, the spotting boards I use for football and
the scoring board I use for basketball. All that is
I got from Ralph and the mid eighties somewhere. But

(35:26):
basketball takes about half as much time, but you have
to at least two games most weeks, so it ends
up being about the same amount of time total.

Speaker 3 (35:36):
Second part of that question from Clutch Cargo, it's it
was on KS board? Is the pronunciation of names you mentioned?
K would we talk about how you'd have to rehearse
how's that word you have to call the school sometimes?

Speaker 5 (35:46):
Or done that? Done that?

Speaker 7 (35:49):
I remember one time I got burned on a guy
from Kansas because I used the first one I saw
in the notes, and later in the notes it was
listed different, but I put it phonetically. So if you
see the spotting board, however his name might be spelled
it may you know, I may spell it differently or whatever.
Just from the standpoint of that doesn't matter if I

(36:11):
misspell it, but it doesn't matter if I mispronounce it.
So I'll have it, uh, you know, spelled out phonetically
and highlighted if it's something tricky. And then you know
some of them like the Kentucky guys, and you you
get just from repetition, but the opponent, especially if it's
something unusual. Uh and there's one of them that's coming

(36:33):
to mind. H from Indiana football player went on to
play for the Bears at a Walia gunlier. That's one
I would like that day, the first time you got that,
you're just for you know, a lot of the day,
just kind of saying AULI. So consequently it's still with me.

Speaker 3 (36:51):
The question referenced the I guess the Russian team came here?
And Kay, what I guess? I do a lot of
rehearsing for them.

Speaker 7 (36:56):
Well, okay, Kay, it was a funny story of Ralph
to me one time that Ralph was working on pronunciations
and uh, kay would said, Ralph, don't worry about it
was Czechoslovakia team or something, don't you don't have to
worry as much about that. Their mama's and daddy's ain't listening.
Of course, now they can't.

Speaker 1 (37:11):
Be a five nine, two eighth, two weeks and we've
got some callers online and probably got some questions for you.

Speaker 2 (37:16):
So what's to take a couple of them? Who we
got first? Shannon?

Speaker 6 (37:18):
All right, let's go to Mike.

Speaker 2 (37:19):
Mike, go ahead and you're on with Tom Leech.

Speaker 5 (37:23):
Hello, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike.

Speaker 2 (37:27):
Maybe the whole Yeah, go ahead, Mike.

Speaker 3 (37:35):
Do you remember me from our old college days?

Speaker 1 (37:40):
No, Mike, obviously I had a grady impact on your
broadcasting career. You gotta take a thof speaker so we
can hear you. All right, Let me try the skin,
my man, whenever you're ready anytime.

Speaker 2 (38:00):
He just hung up.

Speaker 5 (38:01):
Oh wow, Well that.

Speaker 1 (38:02):
Was a great first call of the show. You sure
I remember Mike from college. Next question, Shannon Creek, Creek,
go ahead, Creek, Hey, Ron, Hey Creek, Who are you?

Speaker 7 (38:15):
How are you.

Speaker 4 (38:17):
Good?

Speaker 5 (38:17):
How are you all right?

Speaker 2 (38:19):
What do you got for us?

Speaker 8 (38:21):
I just want to tell you Todd Lily Pop. Todd
Little Pop hosted a Kentucky westl And baseball camp and
I won the overall Charlie Hustle Award.

Speaker 2 (38:32):
Nice, It's all right, Charlie Hustle Award.

Speaker 1 (38:36):
The Todd Little Pop Baseball Camp Kentucky was Yeah, did
you do the head first slide to win?

Speaker 5 (38:43):
No?

Speaker 8 (38:44):
I just had to work hard and do what they said.

Speaker 1 (38:47):
Well, congratulations, Creek, We appreciate you calling in and tell
us that and keep working hard at Kentucky. Wesley is
a great place to go play when you become a
college player.

Speaker 2 (38:53):
Who's next, Shannon Peyton? Peyton, go ahead, Peyton, Hey.

Speaker 9 (38:58):
Guys, Hey Tom, that's I got two questions. I'm a
podcast listener and Small and Grass last night catching up
during the week and her Shannon talking about his baseball cards.
Somerset car shows tomorrow starts at nine to last to one.
I'm sure we have plenty of vengers and clackers that
could help you look through it and maybe even buy
it off of there you go and let you know

(39:19):
how much it's worth. And Tom, what's your favorite call
in the Stoops era?

Speaker 2 (39:25):
Appreciate the favorite calling the Stoops era.

Speaker 5 (39:27):
That's a good one.

Speaker 2 (39:30):
Touchdown Dane Key, I think should probably be the answer.

Speaker 7 (39:34):
The Benny Snell touchdown in the Citrus Bowl, because he
scored a key touchdown and also broke the rushing record
held by Sonny Collins on the on that play, and
you know they ended up it was on the way
to the first ten win season since seventy seven. And
then the Bud de Pre interception. Oh, that's a good one.

(39:58):
Second year, the home game against South Carolina and yeah,
tipped up into the air, but intercepts it and kind
of a good one.

Speaker 5 (40:03):
Turns the game.

Speaker 1 (40:04):
All right, we'll take Can you stick around a little
bit a lot longer? All right, we'll take our break
with this sip. We've got our phone lines going and
the stream's going. We want to keep Tom a little
bit longer. We'll come back.

Speaker 2 (40:12):
Give us a call. Eight five nine two eight oh
two two eighty seven. This is Kentucky Sports Radio.