January 13, 2025 • 43 mins
Willie Cauley Stein joins the show to talk about the current UK basketball team and reminisce about his playing career at Kentucky.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 2 (01:00):
Welcome to our two of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by
Stockton Mortgage. Now here's Matt Jones.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Welcome back our number two Kentucky Sports Radio eight five,
nine two eight, twenty two eighty. So there you go,
Thank you very much. We're here at ks Barn Grail.
You could come on out and see us this morning
on a snowy day. We're now joined by Willie Cawley Stein,
uh former National Player.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Of the year. The how's that feel to be introduced
as that?
Speaker 5 (01:26):
Pretty crazy it is?
Speaker 3 (01:28):
I mean, like that's uh, you know, that's the amount
of how many National Players of the Year have we
had here? We have not had many all along, like
four or five? I mean we have what who a
won it? Anthony Davis Wall? Wall got one, but he
didn't get all of them.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
Oscar get one? Oscar got one? Right, did anybody who
got him before Wall?
Speaker 6 (01:50):
Anyone? Did Kenny Walker get it one year?
Speaker 4 (01:53):
For sure? So I mean, like, you're that's pretty amazing company.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
Oh it's great.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Yeah, you gotta you gotta love being in that group.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
Yeah, what's that's what it's about? Uh?
Speaker 3 (02:05):
So you part of the twenty fifteen team. I was
just saying that I think it's, along with the ninety
six team, the best team here. Make the case for
the twenty fifteen team as the best of all time,
because I think you believe it.
Speaker 7 (02:19):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean I just I just think
with the the amount of guys we had, I mean,
even even like our tenth and eleven guy or you know,
off the bench, you know, like they could go somewhere
else and start probably.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
I mean Derek Wilson, Dominique Hawkins didn't.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
Play, yeah, and their starter somewhere else.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
Yeah, I mean, I don't know.
Speaker 7 (02:39):
So when you when you look at it like that,
it's just there's just too much talent and not I
don't think any probably eighty percent of us got to
tap into our whole talent.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
What were those practices like every day? Did you get
to the point that you didn't want to see Dakari
Johnson ever again after because you probably do practice against
him like every day, right.
Speaker 7 (02:57):
Yeah, that's cat had a guard to carry. Don't really
have to guard him too much. I was guarding Marcus.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
They put your microphone up there next there you go,
you guard Marcus lea.
Speaker 7 (03:06):
Yeah, I was guarding Marcus and uh Kat had to
guard Dakari. So yeah, them two bodies got the clash
against each other a lot.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
What was the moment that year that you knew like
this is gonna be special, like this is a special team.
Speaker 5 (03:22):
Uh.
Speaker 7 (03:22):
Probably the summer, like when the new guys came in
after like we had been there already, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 5 (03:29):
And uh, I mean.
Speaker 7 (03:31):
The first like three weeks of practicing and like playing
pick up like we were fighting.
Speaker 5 (03:38):
It was just fight.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
You know.
Speaker 5 (03:38):
It was like the Twins versus book and Tyler.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
And you know, I always got the sense you tell
me if this is right, the Twins versus Booker and Tyler.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
Everybody liked each other, but there was, oh there was something.
Speaker 7 (03:51):
There right after the fact everybody liked each other at first.
I don't I don't think that was the case. I mean,
they weren't supposed to be here, you know what I mean,
Like it got like over, like Twin should have left
bucking Tyler come up. You know that's how it goes.
That's how it's like recruited here. So when that when
we all come back, it kind of like stacks it up.
So now it's you you create a little competition. It's
(04:12):
where it's you know, more times than not, it's given
to you. Now it's like you got a competition where
like well these guys already proved this, like we can't
just slide them out. You kind of had a battle
for it. So I think they set it up for
the battle.
Speaker 6 (04:25):
Did you.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
I mean, during the year, everybody said the right things
about the platoon in the moment, did you all like
it or not?
Speaker 7 (04:34):
I think in the beginning we didn't like it, But
then once we started just running people out the gym
like they were tired by the time, you know what
I mean, we're like still like, coach, can I please
go back in, because, like you know, you're not tired.
And so once once we kind of got like, you know,
five six games in of playing it like that, then
it was like, Okay, we see the benefit in what
we're doing.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Let me take a step back. I like to go
through people's careers. So you came in here. How many
times Ryan? Did we hear he played wide receiver in
high school?
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Probably every single game, every single game for three years?
Speaker 4 (05:08):
Did you?
Speaker 3 (05:08):
I mean you don't see the TV broadcast, but did
you know like that that's what was said about you
every single game?
Speaker 4 (05:14):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (05:14):
Yeah, yeah, no, it's I mean I get on Twitter
afterwards and it's on there.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
Did you? So you did play wide receiver in high school?
Were you good? That was great? You'd be hard to
cover at six eleven.
Speaker 7 (05:26):
That was They would try everything, triple coverages, double coverages.
Put a linebacker on me off the line, but the
linebackers like little other than me.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
So you came here your freshman year, didn't play a
ton backed up Neurlands and then he gets hurt and
so you you you play a little bit more when
you came here. What was the amount of time you
thought you were gonna say? You didn't think you were
a one and done when you came, did you?
Speaker 5 (05:49):
Uh?
Speaker 6 (05:51):
Bro?
Speaker 5 (05:51):
When I came here, I was just I was just
coming for the ride. Bro.
Speaker 7 (05:54):
I wouldn't really have an expectation of what it was
going to be like. I mean, that's why I came,
was because they said you would be, you know, like
a one and done or have a chance to go
to the to the league quick. So that's why that's
why I came. But as soon as I got here,
I didn't know it was gonna be like that. I
mean like as soon as I signed, I was already
like top fifteen on the on the board, and I
(06:16):
hadn't even played a game yet. I was like, how
the hell, how does that make sense?
Speaker 3 (06:22):
But so the first year, there's the struggles end up
in the n I T. Second year, you know, everybody
remembers the run, But during the regular season that twenty
fourteen team, there were a lot of struggles that year too,
And I mean, you guys played a lot of close games.
Speaker 4 (06:37):
On the road where you would lose right at the end.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Did you during that time feel like, though, you know,
there's still something else with this group?
Speaker 5 (06:45):
Oh?
Speaker 7 (06:46):
Yeah, I mean at that that particular year, I mean,
we were still putting it together. So when people kind
of ask about it, it's like, I think people think
that we were because we the eight seed. Yes, we
were better than the eight seed. I think we just
got kind of hold on it and just because of
(07:07):
who we are, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
And like, well, Wichita State is the one that ended
up getting screwed on it because they were undefeated and
had to play you guys in the second round.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
But were they seed?
Speaker 4 (07:17):
What do you mean what they were one? I'm just
saying like they shouldn't have had to play you, But
why were they seed?
Speaker 6 (07:23):
I know?
Speaker 5 (07:23):
But like so you're saying we're better.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Than we were better than an eight seed, and I
think that hurt them in some ways in there. But
let's go to that game. It's an often forgotten game.
That's one of the best. Don't you agree That's one
of the best college basketball games I've ever seen.
Speaker 6 (07:37):
It was awesome. It was great big shot after big shot.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Yeah Baker and fred Fred Van Fleet clear Anthony Early,
who didn't I don't think playing the NBA, but was.
Speaker 7 (07:48):
A great knowledgey he did play getting shot and the
Knicks got shot in the league.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
I didn't know that. Well that's a bummer, sorry to
hear that.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
But but that game, that was one of the most
awesome in the moment games I can remember.
Speaker 7 (08:03):
Crazy well for me for sure, because I'm from Kansas,
so I got to play a k state and then
to get into that game play which it's all and
it was like it was different, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
Yeah. So then game against Louisville in Indianapolis.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Louisville's coming off a national championship, we had won one
two years ago.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
It was like the rubber match.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
I tell you, personally, I've never been more nervous about
a game in my life. I almost got I got
spin on I got the woman tried to throw up
on me, like it was one of the wildest.
Speaker 6 (08:35):
This was during a pregame show.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
These people are coming up to him during the pregame
show and giving him the accident.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
They accidentally booked my pregame show at a Louisville pregame party,
and I just decided, I just decided to talk trash
and a woman tried to throw up on me. But
that one, that game, what's what? What was it like
to be in it?
Speaker 8 (08:57):
Man?
Speaker 7 (08:58):
It was I mean anytime, like I said, anytime you
get to play an a rivalry game, it's legendary. So
like the fact that I don't know, I've got to
play in like six of them with them, So I mean,
I broke my ankle that game. So that's how I
really remember in the last shots.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
Yeah you didn't that Marcus Lee had to come in there,
and that's when he had played really well against Michigan
and Wisconsin. All right, So get to twenty fifteen. Did
you come back because you broke your ankle? If you
hadn't broken your ankle, would you have left?
Speaker 5 (09:26):
I was gone, Yeah, I was out of here.
Speaker 4 (09:28):
So I mean, I want to say a blessing in disguise?
Speaker 5 (09:31):
I was though, was it? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (09:33):
Why do you think that?
Speaker 7 (09:35):
Because I still don't think I was ready to go,
but I was gonna go just because of the mom
went to the shit Like what else can you do
better besides winning it? So I mean the draft boards
looked good and like everything was good. So like if
we would have won it, I probably definitely would have won.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Were you bummed out that you had to come back?
I mean, there's got to be a part of it.
It's like I was so close.
Speaker 7 (09:59):
I wasn't wasn't bummed just because I was hurt. So
it just made it like like, oh, I have so
much stuff that I want to get done. And like
I remember laying in the hospital but after surgery and
like talking to my boy Rex and was like, man,
I got like so many accolades. I still I haven't won.
I've never won anything, Like I think I want to
go back to school and do it. And then like
fast forward, we got all the accolades and.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
All right, so before you did that, we go to
the Bahamas.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
That was a good trip, all right, I'm I mean
we might as well just talk about that. I mean,
I mean, first of all years ago. You guys, you
guys had fun on that trip. I mean, that wasn't
just a basketball trip. You guys had fun, and I'm
not sure anyone had more fun than you.
Speaker 4 (10:44):
Like you.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
You you were, you were at the clubs, you were
at the bars.
Speaker 4 (10:49):
I mean, what do you what did you how did
you look at that trip?
Speaker 7 (10:53):
I was hurt, so you know, I had like a
morning workout and then I was done for the rest
of the day. I got to watch go basketball and
I was with all the boosters all day and.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Just yeah, you were with all the boosters, that's one
way to put it.
Speaker 7 (11:07):
Yeah, you were just just chilling meeting people. It was
a good time.
Speaker 5 (11:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (11:11):
I can remember.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
I would go to bed and my friends that stayed
out later, including this one, that would be when they
would see you show up.
Speaker 4 (11:19):
I was gonna show really some pictures and say do
you remember this moment? But I won't do that on radio.
We'll do that after the show.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
We've told I don't want to go into the details
on the morning show. This might be an uncensored podcast,
but we have hinted over the years at the moment
at the pool after you all did the ice Bucket challenge.
Do you remember you did the ice bucket challenge? And
do you remember you walked back to the pool. Do
you remember what was going on at the pool when
you when you showed up, Uh huh.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
Some people not in the UK party were having a
very good time.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
Maybe there was a middle of dancing going on in
the middle of the pool, and Cal and those guys
ran off.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
Do you remember that?
Speaker 5 (11:56):
Actually? I do know.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
You'll see that a lot of pools, not.
Speaker 5 (12:02):
No, not those, not that type of pool.
Speaker 4 (12:07):
Not that type of pool, but that group.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
It did strike me that that Bahamas trip did kind
of bring you guys together.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
By the end of the.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
Trip, you all seem to have a much bigger connection
maybe than you did before. Do you agree with that?
Speaker 5 (12:20):
I think so.
Speaker 7 (12:21):
I mean we had a lot of downtime too, where
you know, we were going parasitling and on the beach
Ryan jet skis and it's kind of like he took
us out on the boat and got to you know,
snorkel and do all types of stuff where we're just
all together. I think that's most One thing Kyl does
a really good job of is like putting you in
(12:42):
situations where you have to be around each other, Like
we have these temper peeding beds and we're gonna go
sleep on this floor instead of sleeping these temper peking beds,
you know what I mean. Like it's like stuff like that,
Like he just make you be together.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
Yeah, well let me I want to come back to
twenty fifteen, but let me talk about Cal for a second.
When you hear Caliperry is going to Arkansas, what is
your thought at that moment?
Speaker 7 (13:05):
Damn uh yeah, Like damn, that was It was unexpected.
I think I woke up to it, but I get it.
I get it at the same time, Like you know,
stuff is stagnant. You know, people need change. People need
change to keep keep things moving fresh. And so I
think it was a situation here where like, Okay, we're good,
(13:26):
but we're not as good as we need to be,
and you gotta make a change.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
And I think it's mutual.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
Yeah, I thought it was.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
I actually thought it was best for both parties for
that to happen.
Speaker 6 (13:37):
Did you.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
I always worried about how the former players saw it,
because we're here every day. I think we knew Cal
needed to change. I think we knew we as fans
needed to change. How did former players see it? Like
did you could you feel that that needed to happen?
Speaker 5 (13:54):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (13:54):
Yeah, I mean you can just you can just tell.
I mean, especially with the new like the way college
is now nil, Like we come from an era of
like we had to like scheme the like how to
get away with stuff like that, you know what I mean?
And now you don't have to do that, and like
now it's like does Kentucky wanted like fun into that?
Speaker 5 (14:14):
Well it didn't look like it. So I feel like
there's like a you know.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
But did you?
Speaker 3 (14:19):
I mean, I will just say and I I thought
he changed a little bit in the last few years.
Speaker 7 (14:25):
I think he got complacent, okay bit like like when
I was here, I feel like it was intense and
then like you come back and then like the way
he talks to the kids, like, well you didn't talk
to us like that?
Speaker 4 (14:35):
Is that right? Did you? Could you see a difference?
Speaker 7 (14:37):
Maybe not like it was like he was a little softer,
Like it wasn't like with us man, he was that's
Alex bro Like Alex got the worst of it. I
feel like, so I don't I don't I don't see
when I was here seeing that. I don't feel like
anybody else got like that type of Why.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
Did you think Alex got the worst of it? I
always thought Alex got the worst of it too. Why
do you think that was true?
Speaker 7 (14:56):
Cause he's just so big, Like he's just he was
supposed to, you know, he was like a a big
guard and a beast so but also like a very
you know, kind human spirited person. So I think cow
is just trying to bring out that monster out of him.
I don't think that's who he is, and so like
trying to bring that out just made him kind of
(15:16):
put him in a lower spot.
Speaker 6 (15:18):
Do you cheer well?
Speaker 3 (15:20):
On February first, Kentucky's gonna play Arkansas right down there?
Speaker 4 (15:25):
Are you gonna cheer for Kentucky?
Speaker 5 (15:27):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (15:27):
Okay, okay, I'm just making sure you know I But
do you cheer for Arkansas when they don't play Kentucky?
Speaker 5 (15:34):
No? No, I don't. I watched, but I ain't. No, yeah,
I'm not.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
No, you're a Kentucky guy.
Speaker 6 (15:44):
I love it.
Speaker 9 (15:44):
Have you been there yet or have any intentions at
least check in? I know some former players have at
least from UK gone and said hot to cal there.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
Have you made that charge.
Speaker 7 (15:51):
Yeah, I've made the I mean it's right around the corner.
My my wife she went to school there and stuff,
and she wants to go.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
But I'm like, have you met Mark Pope? Okay, how's
that go?
Speaker 7 (16:03):
Mark's nice and I like him. I George, Uh, I
joined the whole. The whole coaching staff was cool when
we were here. They took care of us too, So
I mean, I like what they got going on.
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Speaker 9 (16:42):
So black and show Mario, but not with the camera.
Speaker 4 (16:46):
Okay, there's a great picture.
Speaker 6 (16:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
Vince Merriw just wrote me. He must be listening in.
He said, Uh, I saw Willie play football. He I
was at Nebraska watching him. He was a great football player. Great,
there you go, Vince Merrow the recruiter giving you the
thumbs up.
Speaker 5 (17:06):
That's a blessing.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
We'll take a break. Right back is Kentucky Sports Radio.
Walking back, it is Kentucky Sports Radio. One of Willi's
big fans just walked in here. Willie, you got fans
left and right all over the place.
Speaker 5 (17:21):
It's a blessing.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Really, it's gotta be awesome. I mean one of the
things you get to do that these players get to do.
What I know, you have a big heart. What is
it like to see the effect you have on just regular,
everyday fans.
Speaker 7 (17:38):
I don't think you like really realize it until like
it happens. You know, it's but it it's good.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
You know you get an emotional thinking about it.
Speaker 7 (17:47):
Yeah, yeah, like because you don't feel it all the time,
so when you come here, it's like you feel it
all the time.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
So Marcus Cousins used to say, look, I went to
the NBA. It was great, made a lot of money,
But my favorite year was my year here. There's a
way people embrace you here that just doesn't happen right
anywhere else.
Speaker 7 (18:06):
Yeah, I mean, I think they see you for who
you are, not just a basketball player or what you
do for the school.
Speaker 5 (18:13):
Like you know, they see who for you really are.
That's a big time.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
In two thousand and was it fourteen or fifteen? The
uh drawing on the sidewalk thing? Do you remember the
sidewalk shop.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
Yeah, so he was twenty fourteen.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
At the SEC tournament, they did these like profiles of
the big player on every team. And I remember you
guys were about to play Florida and Patrick Young was there,
really good player and.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
It said and it said Patrick Young.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
They were like, in his spare time, he goes out
and he chops wood and they showed him with an
axe and all this, and you all were about to
play him, and then they showed you and they were like,
for Kentucky, Willie Cauley's time. In his spare time, he
likes to go out on the sidewalk and do sidewalk
art with chal with chalk.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
And I was like, oh, that's how they did.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Yeah, Patrick Young chopping wood and you drawing on the
sidewalk with with with chalk.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
They did you bad on that one.
Speaker 5 (19:07):
It did me dirty for sure.
Speaker 4 (19:09):
You did you actually do that though?
Speaker 5 (19:11):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (19:11):
That was an art contest that I did in high school.
Speaker 5 (19:18):
ID to do yeah sidewalk?
Speaker 4 (19:20):
Yeah, they did you dirty on that one though, they did.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:23):
What about Hi dunking on Florida? They did coloring the sidewalk?
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Okay, So we were talking during the break about dunks.
Is that Florida dunk your best dunk?
Speaker 5 (19:30):
It's one of them? What's the best dunk in college?
Speaker 4 (19:33):
Yes?
Speaker 7 (19:35):
I don't know, man, I mean, that's the one that
we see all the time. I'm sure there's some other
ones that are since an actually Auburn one. My freshman
year was pretty crazy too, like the little I got
a little pitch from James Young at the three point
line and everybody's like, the hell did he catch it
at the three point line? For and I'm just like
looking like, oh, nobody's guarding me. One dribble boom and
(19:55):
I was like, oh that was fun. Now, I think
I wanted out the all the time.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Twenty fifteen, I'm gonna give you some moments I remember.
Get your quick take on first of all when you
all nearly held UCLA scoreless in the CBS Classic, maybe
the best defensive performance in the first half I've ever
seen a team half.
Speaker 4 (20:15):
I agreed, they couldn't even get shots off.
Speaker 5 (20:18):
Yeah, they were flustered, and that team.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
Went to the Sweet sixteen. They ended up being a
pretty good team.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
I mean, they were good, dude, they just not for us.
Speaker 4 (20:26):
Was that one of them? We're in the locker room,
You're like, oh.
Speaker 7 (20:29):
Wow, Actually I actually feel bad for them because like
they it was just the timing that we played them,
Like we had been going crazy, like either playing against
each other and then we're like playing in that little
thing and then it's like Christmas break, so it's like,
once this game is over, we're all getting on the
plane going home.
Speaker 5 (20:45):
So it was like, let's just finish this game so
we can go home.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
Did you start to feel the weight of the undefeated, Like,
was there a pressure on that group during SEC play?
Speaker 7 (20:57):
No, I think the pressure didn't happen until after when
we were first going in. I feel like that's when
it was that's when we were hearing it the most.
Like during the SEC it was like whatever, But like
once that was over, when we were going into the tournament.
Then it was like a different type of pressure because
now everybody's in the same boat. But now it's like,
(21:19):
are you gonna go undefeated and win this? That's different
than just like, oh, going undefeated in the tournament and
then you win in but it's like as the whole?
Do you start thinking as the whole at that point?
Speaker 3 (21:28):
There's an argument fans have sometimes which is there's this
argument that there are people who wanted you to lose
a game because they go back to ninety six and
twenty twelve, two great teams I think, along with twenty fifteen,
those are the great teams of my lifetime. They both
lost in the SEC tournament finals and then won the title.
And there have been people who said, I wish they
would have lost. Do you think it would have helped
(21:50):
you to lose? I always argue no, but maybe I'm wrong.
Do you think it would have helped you to lose?
I don't think what's the difference. I agree you just lost.
Now you lost.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
But you don't think like that would have helped As
the tournament went.
Speaker 7 (22:04):
On, well, you just well know, because so you lose
and then you still it's one game at a time
you lose again and you're over like you win, you win,
So it's regardless we put the pressure on ourselves. The
pressure was gone because the only way it matter was
to lose in the sec right, So after that's over,
everybody has to go undefeated.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
Now that's a really good point, know what I mean?
So that we lose, all right, So you lost, but.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
I thought the only team going into the tournament, the
only team I thought had a chance to beat you all,
was Wisconsin just because.
Speaker 5 (22:32):
Of the way they played matchup.
Speaker 4 (22:35):
Do you agree with that?
Speaker 5 (22:36):
Yeah? Yeah, So look.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
I know you don't want to think about it, but
tell me about that game.
Speaker 7 (22:43):
Uh, I mean, they just got it. They got us
on a on a night that like we hadn't been
in a position like that where you know, we're necessarily
down in the last few minutes of the game, and
like you know, we're used to putting pressure on other
people on that side of the things. And what our
last three possession, we had two shot clock violations in
(23:04):
an airball like doesn't happen. That hadn't happened the whole year.
They had a shot that was a shot clut, it
was a shotguk.
Speaker 4 (23:12):
They should have called it.
Speaker 6 (23:13):
Right, I should have called it.
Speaker 4 (23:14):
He didn't call it still makes me, still makes everybody mad.
Speaker 6 (23:17):
You think about it, and.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
You know I'm friends with Big Cat and he's Sam
Decker's friend. I still hate Sam Decker. It's not what
it was root of him to win that game. Will
you all should have been undefeated. We should have It
was rude.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
We'll take a break right back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio.
TJ Smith, personal injury attorney called TJ. He'll make them.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Pay no more of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
Here's Matt Jones.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Welcome back Tucky Sports Radio eight. But I'm nine two
eight twenty two eighty seven. Willie given a nice surprise
to the people that came here. Give yourselves a round
of applause. Those of you that guy here early didn't
even know you were gonna get this. And so thanks
to doctor Mike Wong who is giving out pictures uh
that he took of Willy with his dunk against Cincinnati
and now he's signing him, which is very very nice.
(24:03):
One person writes, Matt, I was here on campus when
Willie was on his visit in the higahtt lobby. I
went up and asked for a picture, and he said,
why do you want my picture? I don't think he
realized what he was getting into. Is that is that?
Is that possible?
Speaker 5 (24:18):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (24:18):
I did not, did you?
Speaker 3 (24:20):
I mean, did you have any idea what you were
walking into when you came to Lexington?
Speaker 7 (24:24):
No, I'm I'm from Kansas, man. I didn't even know
what Kentucky basketball was so before like calling him actually
came to my house, it was Kansas.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
So when you walk on campus and all of a
sudden people are just coming up to you and wanting
pictures and all that, is it just like it's got
to be a crazy change.
Speaker 4 (24:43):
Isn't it.
Speaker 5 (24:45):
For the better? Yeah? For the better? I don't know.
Speaker 7 (24:48):
You just you just realized how much impact you can
have on people. So like you gotta just I don't
know you. There's there's a couple of ways you can
take it. You can either be like the asshole, or
you can be like the guy that's it's out here
for two hours and sign everybody's autographs. I feel like
that's the that's the route that I took.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
And you've always been like that. I mean, I that's
one of the things I appreciate about you is that
you throughout the time you seem to be like, I'm
going to talk to these people.
Speaker 5 (25:15):
I get it.
Speaker 7 (25:15):
I'm I'm small town kids, so like I understand, I
was that kid that was standing outside of a Dia
City Legends game trying to get an autograph from a
semi pro guy.
Speaker 6 (25:27):
Is that right? You go to G League games trying to.
Speaker 7 (25:29):
Get wasn't even G League at that time, you know
what I mean. It's just like below that in Southwest Kansas.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
There's a young woman here who you met when you
were at UK when she was like a child, and
she's come to see you again.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
How does that make you feel?
Speaker 7 (25:46):
I think those are the craziest ones. Like now, when
I come back, it'd be like all the students are
were children, you know, and they're like, oh, yeah, you
signed my iPhone five, and I'm like, iPhone five, sheesh.
Speaker 4 (25:59):
I mean, wait, you get to do it as long
as I have.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
When people are like my dad used to come watch
you when he was in college, and You're like, are
you kidding?
Speaker 4 (26:06):
Yeah, I mean it's it's it's it's wild.
Speaker 7 (26:08):
And I look in the mirror and I'm like, well,
I don't feel like that exactly what You're changed that
much and I'm like looking there like grown.
Speaker 5 (26:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
One person writes, Matt, I think Willy had the best
death stare I've ever seen. Does he remember the death
stare he gave Montres Harrald during the Louisville game.
Speaker 7 (26:26):
Yeah, it's hard to hard to get past that one.
That one gets shown every year or too.
Speaker 4 (26:31):
That was pretty good. He went blind.
Speaker 1 (26:33):
Remember that every year Louisville comes into Roperena. That video
is on the the intro video blood.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
It was the same game game, That's right.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
One person writes, you know, ask Willy what his favorite
thing about Cali Perry was.
Speaker 4 (26:53):
What was your favorite thing about Cal Perry?
Speaker 7 (26:55):
Uh, it's just like the way like he empowers us
to be who we are, but then like shows us
like what to how to like use that after ball.
So a lot of the stuff that I learned from
Cal had nothing to do with basketball. I mean it
was just more like how to carry yourself off the floor,
and like you're a brand and you know how to
(27:17):
make money after this and I god of you know,
set up your family, Like we're in a position to
you know, stop generational curses and stuff like that. So
I mean, I like really paid attention to that type
of stuff.
Speaker 3 (27:28):
Yeah, one person Wrights ask Willie of all the cal
big men, where does he think he ranks? We that's
a tough question for you, all right, So just for
your time at Kentucky, not what happens in the NBA.
If I'm thinking about, Let's just go through the various
really good big men here. Start with. You had DeMarcus
h George Nerland's, Anthony Davis, you, Carl Oscar who else
(27:55):
whom I am? Bam, that's a really good one. Julius Randall,
Julius rand you play with a lot of these guys. Willie,
You're sitting there and you're going, all right, where do
I where?
Speaker 6 (28:05):
Where do you put yourself in that list?
Speaker 5 (28:08):
Shoot? Top three, not three? Top three?
Speaker 4 (28:12):
Top three, not three?
Speaker 3 (28:14):
So let me if I if I were going to
put your list just at UK, okay, not what happens
after u K. I think it's the top four to
me in some order? Is a d DeMarcus Oscar?
Speaker 6 (28:30):
You?
Speaker 3 (28:31):
I think that's the top four at UK? Come on, man,
you you want to you can be a broadcaster. Give
ranked those four for me, I.
Speaker 7 (28:39):
Mean where the accolades say, what the numbers say, Well,
the numbers will.
Speaker 6 (28:42):
Probably put you two, but the accolades may put him one.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
Well Anthony had similar Yeah, Anthony and him he got
the chip.
Speaker 7 (28:49):
We'll put Anthony first just because you got a chip.
So you canna put you second. Defensive Player of the year.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
When you sweep National Player of the year, Defensive player
of the year, Conference player of the Year, Conference defensive Player.
Speaker 7 (29:04):
Of the year, see Tournament player of the Year like
also one two sports two sports star on that list.
Speaker 4 (29:11):
No other wide receivers other than Will. I think that
also gives them a bull.
Speaker 7 (29:13):
I don't think there were any otherwise, just saying, man,
there's a lot of things. It's kind of going my
way to But I agree.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
You know, I mean, if you look at the accolades this,
I don't think there's any debate.
Speaker 4 (29:26):
We've talked about that.
Speaker 10 (29:27):
Like the.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
Dude, dude, where I'm going. If you're just looking at
the accolades, your jersey should be up there one day
because there is no one Ryan that's correct. I mean,
the amount of people that have those accolades is on
one hand, wouldn't you agree.
Speaker 6 (29:43):
There's no doubt about it.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
You put that just based on what he did here,
the accolades he received after his junior year, it's a
no brainer that he gets his jersey retired.
Speaker 5 (29:51):
I agree, I long I've been wondering the same thing.
I've been here for three years.
Speaker 4 (29:56):
Also about the graduate you're about to graduate. Talk to
me about that.
Speaker 7 (30:01):
Came back. I got like another semester left spring semester.
Actually after this, I'm going on campus. I got a
couple of classes. I gotta start doing well.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
Why was that important to you?
Speaker 7 (30:13):
On mem I'm done with, you know, playing, but I
want to I want to get into coaching, and so
it's a coach.
Speaker 5 (30:19):
You gotta have a degree.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
So you want to be a coach. What what do
you You were gonna start that next year? You hope
on the college level.
Speaker 5 (30:27):
Now, I think I want to do high school.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
High school.
Speaker 7 (30:29):
Yeah, I think I could like serve the kids better,
like young adults moving into that college level.
Speaker 3 (30:41):
I've always felt like, probably more uniquely than any player
that has played here since I've done it. You have,
and you feel free to correct me. An artistic personality,
A very like you have a huge heart. It's not
your typical basketball player way of looking at the world.
(31:03):
That's hard for me to really describe how you hit
it on the head, am I right talk to me
about that.
Speaker 7 (31:09):
I think it just goes like you seen my grandparents.
You guys met him like that was my parents. So
like I was raising that type of you know, small
town environment. They never in probably their whole life, thought
they would come to Kentucky and watch their you know,
son playing move on to the NBA and stuff like that.
So I don't know what that that type of do.
You don't know, like and it was like all it
(31:29):
was like a gift for all of us. I don't know,
you carry that with you so like it's all the gifts.
So like, you know, I got to learn a lot
doing that, and I just feel like there's a lot
of like kids that are like me that I could
like share that too. So that's why I feel like
the high school level would be fun.
Speaker 3 (31:45):
I think you said to me once that you tended
to gravitate towards people kind of left out a little bit.
I remember you saying to me in one of the
interviews a long time ago that you kind of looked
for the kid that's off to the side by.
Speaker 4 (31:57):
Himself or herself. Is that right?
Speaker 7 (32:01):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I feel like I was that person.
Like I was just tall, so I was in the back,
you know what I mean. But like you always wanted
to be in the front. You always wanted to dance
around and stuff, but like never, you know, for some reason,
you never did. And so like I look for that.
I look for those type of people that you really
know that they want to be in the mix, but
like either too embarrassed or you know, don't know themselves
(32:22):
like that or haven't learned themselves like that to like
put themselves in that position. So like sometimes you got
to force them in that role.
Speaker 4 (32:29):
You've traveled the world a little bit with basketball. Where
all have you been?
Speaker 5 (32:34):
It's taking me far? I don't know.
Speaker 7 (32:36):
Like when I played in Italy, Man, we got to
play in like a different country every other day, I passport,
got stamps. What town did you play for in Italy verse, Oh, okay,
forty five minutes from Alan, which Alex was actually playing
there at the time.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Wow, So you were in Milan. Did you get into
fashion and all that stuff when you were there? I didn't.
I wasn't there long enough. Honestly, Uh, it was nice
there though he was probably stuck out a little bit there,
just a little bit. Yeah, maybe maybe just a little bit.
Speaker 4 (33:07):
All right.
Speaker 7 (33:07):
So it's also riding a motorcycle around, like one of
those little cal vestments, like a motor, like a like
a real micro rocket crowd rocket, yeah.
Speaker 5 (33:19):
Four motive.
Speaker 4 (33:20):
Okay, all right, well that's uh, I guess zooming.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
So when you do you you watch Kentucky, you were
here for the game, sad, What do you think about
this Kentucky team?
Speaker 7 (33:29):
I like them, man, I mean we're just we can score.
I feel like even even in the SEC period, Like
I ain't never seen so many like good teams in
the SEC. You like watch them, like looking at their
records as they pop up, and everybody got like twelve wins.
Speaker 4 (33:46):
You know, league's a lot better than when you were
in it. Like I mean, you guys would.
Speaker 7 (33:49):
Have like three or four probably like five teams that
were you know, I think at one point, I mean
we had like US Tennessee, Florida, you know what I mean,
we're all into like.
Speaker 5 (33:57):
The Elite eight.
Speaker 7 (33:58):
At one point it was like three or four SEC
teams and it was I mean, I thought that was crazy,
but like seeing it this year.
Speaker 5 (34:04):
I mean, I like, we're the Power Conference.
Speaker 4 (34:06):
Oh no, without for sure, right, without question.
Speaker 7 (34:09):
But everybody's scoring almost one hundred points and nobody's playing defense, so.
Speaker 4 (34:14):
They don't play defense.
Speaker 5 (34:15):
Whoever, whoever decides to play defense is going to win
it for sure.
Speaker 4 (34:18):
Well hopefully that's us.
Speaker 6 (34:19):
Willy.
Speaker 3 (34:20):
I want to thank you very much for for coming
in tonight. You're always generous with your time. Last thing
before you go, how crazy was the TBT tournament in Louisville?
Speaker 5 (34:30):
It was? It was fun. It was fun.
Speaker 7 (34:33):
I mean I never played Freedom Hall in neither, so
it was like a literally like a first for me.
Saw he got punched, I know, and I mean he
got a crazy.
Speaker 5 (34:41):
Video going on there.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
Run it back next year.
Speaker 5 (34:43):
Yeah, I'm running it back for sure.
Speaker 4 (34:45):
That was great.
Speaker 3 (34:46):
I love that you guys still fight with the Louisville
people ten years later.
Speaker 5 (34:50):
It's then not us, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 4 (34:53):
Yeah, it's it's not you. You're not a fighter ever. Yeah,
I like it.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
Well, Willy, thank you very much, thanks for being with
with your time here and with all these folks.
Speaker 4 (35:01):
Everybody, give it round of applause.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
Totar man here Willie Cauley's time, We're gonna take a
break at come Back final segment. This is Kentucky Sports Radio.
Welcome back Tucky Sports Radio. You know we were just
at gray Line Station in Lexington Friday with Club Blue Bourbon.
Drew and Ryan helped design it. So we're coming back
again this coming Friday, second in a row. Bespoken Spirits
(35:23):
helps Club Blue Bourbon, which helps nil for the UK athletes.
They also make Lynyrd Skinnerds whiskey, which I didn't know
until Friday. So they will have tours tasting cocktails and
more this Friday from four to seven. And remember we
are back there ten am this Friday at Bespoken Spirits
in gray Line. Learn more at Bespokenspirits dot com. And
(35:44):
remember I'm giving away UK Bama tickets there Friday. We
gave five hundred dollars away last Friday. UK Bama tickets
is Friday. I kept Willy on for a second because
I had to get him to hear this song. Do
you remember the Kentucky Joe song I'm an Willie Cauley steinman.
Speaker 5 (36:03):
I don't think I could forget it.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
You did hear it? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (36:07):
Well, Kentucky Jones, Kentucky Jones. He's had some health problems,
but he will he has legendary songs. Oh yeah, this
has found it from the archives. So Shannon, go ahead
and play I'm a Willie cally steinman.
Speaker 5 (36:20):
All right, here we go.
Speaker 8 (36:22):
Oh, I'm a willy college man. I'm a willy college man.
My God said, look, Goden, that forgot the Oh I'm
so so hoorrin I'm a willy college Oh got.
Speaker 10 (36:51):
So?
Speaker 4 (36:58):
How good is that?
Speaker 6 (36:59):
Willy?
Speaker 3 (37:00):
Not most of us don't get songs written like that
about us.
Speaker 6 (37:03):
You're right, that's not good. That's awful.
Speaker 4 (37:07):
That is so bad. Give it a grade, Willie.
Speaker 7 (37:10):
That's an A plus, an A plus, a plus.
Speaker 4 (37:15):
All right, Willie, thank you very much.
Speaker 3 (37:17):
I appreciate it that he's been nice enough to sign
a picture for everybody here with Mike.
Speaker 4 (37:22):
Doctor Michael walm has this great picture of him dunking on. See.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
This is why you have to come to remote. You
never know when you're gonna get something like this is
a heck. This would be a fifteen hundred dollars picture
right here.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
This is a heck of a bonus. He signed several
of them for everybody here. Each table got one, So
thank you to doctor Wong and thanks to Willie.
Speaker 4 (37:38):
Very nice of both of them to do that.
Speaker 5 (37:40):
All.
Speaker 4 (37:40):
Right, Before we get out here, I do want to
talk about Cameron and Dave fighting. They scream at each
other on the pregame show.
Speaker 3 (37:47):
Ryan, you and Drew were the first ones to point
it out because I hadn't listened to a lot of
them and I turned it on Saturday.
Speaker 4 (37:54):
I thought they were going to kill each other.
Speaker 6 (37:57):
I like, we all liked Drew, I like.
Speaker 1 (38:00):
You, We do like Drew, right, we do like Drew.
He's sitting right here. Dave and Can. We like them both.
But man, they fight like little teenage girls. Man, they
really go at it.
Speaker 6 (38:09):
Like do they think he's it real? No, they like
each other. I think it's just the the part of
the show. You have to tune in to listen to it.
Speaker 3 (38:18):
People think I'm mean to you, like you should listen
to the two of them. You think I mean to Ryan?
Who listen to how Cameron and Dave talk to each other.
Speaker 4 (38:27):
It's a very very contentious preview.
Speaker 5 (38:29):
I agree.
Speaker 9 (38:30):
We saw him right before the show started the other day.
Everybody's in great spirits and I get in my car
and they're like, are you gonna let me talk? Are
you done talking?
Speaker 5 (38:37):
So?
Speaker 9 (38:37):
I don't know if it's a bit, but radio. I
enjoy catching it. I hear every one of them.
Speaker 4 (38:42):
I think they are I think that's just how they are.
Speaker 3 (38:46):
But they are like two old people who have lived
with each other for so long. It's it that they
are going to kill each other.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
The show before this one, they were arguing about what
you called the pregame shoot around, and I thought they
were gonna fight, just arguing over that.
Speaker 4 (39:01):
It's good radium. I don't miss it. Yeah, I think people.
I think people either love it or hate it.
Speaker 3 (39:05):
There are some people who write me and go, I
cannot listen to these two scream at each other.
Speaker 4 (39:10):
I texted you all eight minutes into that show. Are
you listening? They're fighting already.
Speaker 6 (39:14):
I look for it.
Speaker 3 (39:15):
Let me just say this, because I there's a young
woman who has come to show, who is in a
wheelchair and who was the person that that that Willy
knew when he played here, and he's sitting here talking
to her right now, and I think it's one of
the sweetest things I've ever seen, the way that girl
lit up when she walked in here and or she
(39:35):
was brought in here and saw her like.
Speaker 4 (39:37):
That's that's what this is, right, this is what Kentucky
basketball is. That goes to what Mark Pope did on Saturday.
Speaker 3 (39:44):
And it goes to the like it's I'm trying to
finish the show because it's so sweet right here in.
Speaker 4 (39:49):
Front of us.
Speaker 1 (39:50):
The backstory was Olivia was four years old, went to
daycare and said she was I'm gonna marry Willie cully Stein.
And so he went on his own and met her
for lon when she was four years old. Now here
she is fourteen to see him.
Speaker 4 (40:03):
I'm watching He's showing videos of his kids to her.
Speaker 9 (40:06):
She was mad he had a wife. We heard that part.
She didn't know about that. But he's just showing off
his family.
Speaker 3 (40:10):
Just one of the sweetest things I've seen, Shannon, Who's next?
Speaker 4 (40:13):
Seth, Seth? Go ahead, Seth.
Speaker 10 (40:18):
Hey, Hey, hey man? Uh good? Or I called in
on the pregame show yes the other day for Josh
Hubbard and Lamot Butler's matchup. I felt like lamp Butler
was taking candy from a baby.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
He really the matchup, I mean, especially defensively offensively.
Speaker 6 (40:40):
He struggled.
Speaker 3 (40:41):
You said, he started one for nine, but then you
know the the defense Butler played. I appreciate the call, Seth,
especially at the end. I mean, it was clear Hubbard
was taking that last shot and Butler did not give
him an inch.
Speaker 9 (40:54):
I joke about Championship Chess because Pope said a bunch
of that video. But he does get that chest out
and will not let anyone get around him when they're
trying to drive to the basket. And Hubbard's so good
at that, and he's got that lateral quickness. He's just
such a great on ball defender that they could not
get anything against him.
Speaker 6 (41:09):
It said.
Speaker 1 (41:09):
Lamont had him rattled, and Hubbard's their their main star,
like he had thirty four to thirty six against his
last year. Butler had him rattled that game.
Speaker 3 (41:17):
I I Butler. You know, Butler is even what I
like about him. Even if he's not shooting well, he
is in the game. He's making passes and he plays
the defense. He is our He's our best defender by far,
and it's great to watch him do it.
Speaker 9 (41:33):
And I wanted to ad when we were talking about rebounding.
I didn't get to work this in Otega. Oh way,
I assume Pope told the guards to crash the glass
and help he and Lamont more so. O way, in
the last game, we're a big help inside rebounding two
Oa had like eight or nine rebounds he didn't get
at Yeah, so when they weren't scoring and making shots,
they found other ways to impact.
Speaker 4 (41:50):
That is that's a very good point. DraftKings.
Speaker 3 (41:52):
Uh that five get two hundred dollars Uh in free
bonus bets with Draft Kings that we had a big
weekend KSR.
Speaker 6 (41:59):
Parla hit it did? Yes, it did plus four fifty.
Speaker 4 (42:03):
Five if you if you bet it, I picked that one.
How about that?
Speaker 6 (42:07):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 3 (42:08):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (42:08):
We need a Buffalo win yesterday and if.
Speaker 3 (42:11):
KSR bet five, get two hundred dollars from our good
friends at DraftKings.
Speaker 4 (42:15):
No huge games tonight except Rutgers.
Speaker 3 (42:18):
Rutgers, who has the second and third projected picks in
the draft, is eight to eight, and if they're gonna
make the tournament, they probably went. We need to win
to night at home against u c l A, a
ranked UCLA team who wins at Sall.
Speaker 4 (42:32):
He's a three and a half point favorite. Has Mick
Cronin calmed down yet He's been on one lately.
Speaker 3 (42:38):
I did say his house is kind of in danger
in La, so giving.
Speaker 4 (42:41):
A break before that, Even before that, he's been a
little crazy.
Speaker 9 (42:44):
Yeah, they've They've had some locker room issues there aside
from everything else going on. But I'll still pick them
to win tonight.
Speaker 6 (42:49):
The one good kid is Ron Harper's son that plays for.
Speaker 4 (42:51):
Two good kids. Yeah, I say they win tonight.
Speaker 3 (42:54):
I say they win pull off the upset because if
they're gonna make the tournament, they better start winning tonight. Hey,
thank you guys very much coming out and joining us.
Thanks to Willie cauley Stein for being here as well.
Speaker 4 (43:04):
We'll see you tomorrow.
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Speaker 2 (01:00):
Welcome to our two of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by
Stockton Mortgage. Now here's Matt Jones.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Welcome back our number two Kentucky Sports Radio eight five,
nine two eight, twenty two eighty. So there you go,
Thank you very much. We're here at ks Barn Grail.
You could come on out and see us this morning
on a snowy day. We're now joined by Willie Cawley Stein,
uh former National Player.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Of the year. The how's that feel to be introduced
as that?
Speaker 5 (01:26):
Pretty crazy it is?
Speaker 3 (01:28):
I mean, like that's uh, you know, that's the amount
of how many National Players of the Year have we
had here? We have not had many all along, like
four or five? I mean we have what who a
won it? Anthony Davis Wall? Wall got one, but he
didn't get all of them.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
Oscar get one? Oscar got one? Right, did anybody who
got him before Wall?
Speaker 6 (01:50):
Anyone? Did Kenny Walker get it one year?
Speaker 4 (01:53):
For sure? So I mean, like, you're that's pretty amazing company.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
Oh it's great.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Yeah, you gotta you gotta love being in that group.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
Yeah, what's that's what it's about? Uh?
Speaker 3 (02:05):
So you part of the twenty fifteen team. I was
just saying that I think it's, along with the ninety
six team, the best team here. Make the case for
the twenty fifteen team as the best of all time,
because I think you believe it.
Speaker 7 (02:19):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean I just I just think
with the the amount of guys we had, I mean,
even even like our tenth and eleven guy or you know,
off the bench, you know, like they could go somewhere
else and start probably.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
I mean Derek Wilson, Dominique Hawkins didn't.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
Play, yeah, and their starter somewhere else.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
Yeah, I mean, I don't know.
Speaker 7 (02:39):
So when you when you look at it like that,
it's just there's just too much talent and not I
don't think any probably eighty percent of us got to
tap into our whole talent.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
What were those practices like every day? Did you get
to the point that you didn't want to see Dakari
Johnson ever again after because you probably do practice against
him like every day, right.
Speaker 7 (02:57):
Yeah, that's cat had a guard to carry. Don't really
have to guard him too much. I was guarding Marcus.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
They put your microphone up there next there you go,
you guard Marcus lea.
Speaker 7 (03:06):
Yeah, I was guarding Marcus and uh Kat had to
guard Dakari. So yeah, them two bodies got the clash
against each other a lot.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
What was the moment that year that you knew like
this is gonna be special, like this is a special team.
Speaker 5 (03:22):
Uh.
Speaker 7 (03:22):
Probably the summer, like when the new guys came in
after like we had been there already, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 5 (03:29):
And uh, I mean.
Speaker 7 (03:31):
The first like three weeks of practicing and like playing
pick up like we were fighting.
Speaker 5 (03:38):
It was just fight.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
You know.
Speaker 5 (03:38):
It was like the Twins versus book and Tyler.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
And you know, I always got the sense you tell
me if this is right, the Twins versus Booker and Tyler.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
Everybody liked each other, but there was, oh there was something.
Speaker 7 (03:51):
There right after the fact everybody liked each other at first.
I don't I don't think that was the case. I mean,
they weren't supposed to be here, you know what I mean,
Like it got like over, like Twin should have left
bucking Tyler come up. You know that's how it goes.
That's how it's like recruited here. So when that when
we all come back, it kind of like stacks it up.
So now it's you you create a little competition. It's
(04:12):
where it's you know, more times than not, it's given
to you. Now it's like you got a competition where
like well these guys already proved this, like we can't
just slide them out. You kind of had a battle
for it. So I think they set it up for
the battle.
Speaker 6 (04:25):
Did you.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
I mean, during the year, everybody said the right things
about the platoon in the moment, did you all like
it or not?
Speaker 7 (04:34):
I think in the beginning we didn't like it, But
then once we started just running people out the gym
like they were tired by the time, you know what
I mean, we're like still like, coach, can I please
go back in, because, like you know, you're not tired.
And so once once we kind of got like, you know,
five six games in of playing it like that, then
it was like, Okay, we see the benefit in what
we're doing.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Let me take a step back. I like to go
through people's careers. So you came in here. How many
times Ryan? Did we hear he played wide receiver in
high school?
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Probably every single game, every single game for three years?
Speaker 4 (05:08):
Did you?
Speaker 3 (05:08):
I mean you don't see the TV broadcast, but did
you know like that that's what was said about you
every single game?
Speaker 4 (05:14):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (05:14):
Yeah, yeah, no, it's I mean I get on Twitter
afterwards and it's on there.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
Did you? So you did play wide receiver in high school?
Were you good? That was great? You'd be hard to
cover at six eleven.
Speaker 7 (05:26):
That was They would try everything, triple coverages, double coverages.
Put a linebacker on me off the line, but the
linebackers like little other than me.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
So you came here your freshman year, didn't play a
ton backed up Neurlands and then he gets hurt and
so you you you play a little bit more when
you came here. What was the amount of time you
thought you were gonna say? You didn't think you were
a one and done when you came, did you?
Speaker 5 (05:49):
Uh?
Speaker 6 (05:51):
Bro?
Speaker 5 (05:51):
When I came here, I was just I was just
coming for the ride. Bro.
Speaker 7 (05:54):
I wouldn't really have an expectation of what it was
going to be like. I mean, that's why I came,
was because they said you would be, you know, like
a one and done or have a chance to go
to the to the league quick. So that's why that's
why I came. But as soon as I got here,
I didn't know it was gonna be like that. I
mean like as soon as I signed, I was already
like top fifteen on the on the board, and I
(06:16):
hadn't even played a game yet. I was like, how
the hell, how does that make sense?
Speaker 3 (06:22):
But so the first year, there's the struggles end up
in the n I T. Second year, you know, everybody
remembers the run, But during the regular season that twenty
fourteen team, there were a lot of struggles that year too,
And I mean, you guys played a lot of close games.
Speaker 4 (06:37):
On the road where you would lose right at the end.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Did you during that time feel like, though, you know,
there's still something else with this group?
Speaker 5 (06:45):
Oh?
Speaker 7 (06:46):
Yeah, I mean at that that particular year, I mean,
we were still putting it together. So when people kind
of ask about it, it's like, I think people think
that we were because we the eight seed. Yes, we
were better than the eight seed. I think we just
got kind of hold on it and just because of
(07:07):
who we are, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
And like, well, Wichita State is the one that ended
up getting screwed on it because they were undefeated and
had to play you guys in the second round.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
But were they seed?
Speaker 4 (07:17):
What do you mean what they were one? I'm just
saying like they shouldn't have had to play you, But
why were they seed?
Speaker 6 (07:23):
I know?
Speaker 5 (07:23):
But like so you're saying we're better.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Than we were better than an eight seed, and I
think that hurt them in some ways in there. But
let's go to that game. It's an often forgotten game.
That's one of the best. Don't you agree That's one
of the best college basketball games I've ever seen.
Speaker 6 (07:37):
It was awesome. It was great big shot after big shot.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Yeah Baker and fred Fred Van Fleet clear Anthony Early,
who didn't I don't think playing the NBA, but was.
Speaker 7 (07:48):
A great knowledgey he did play getting shot and the
Knicks got shot in the league.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
I didn't know that. Well that's a bummer, sorry to
hear that.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
But but that game, that was one of the most
awesome in the moment games I can remember.
Speaker 7 (08:03):
Crazy well for me for sure, because I'm from Kansas,
so I got to play a k state and then
to get into that game play which it's all and
it was like it was different, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
Yeah. So then game against Louisville in Indianapolis.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Louisville's coming off a national championship, we had won one
two years ago.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
It was like the rubber match.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
I tell you, personally, I've never been more nervous about
a game in my life. I almost got I got
spin on I got the woman tried to throw up
on me, like it was one of the wildest.
Speaker 6 (08:35):
This was during a pregame show.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
These people are coming up to him during the pregame
show and giving him the accident.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
They accidentally booked my pregame show at a Louisville pregame party,
and I just decided, I just decided to talk trash
and a woman tried to throw up on me. But
that one, that game, what's what? What was it like
to be in it?
Speaker 8 (08:57):
Man?
Speaker 7 (08:58):
It was I mean anytime, like I said, anytime you
get to play an a rivalry game, it's legendary. So
like the fact that I don't know, I've got to
play in like six of them with them, So I mean,
I broke my ankle that game. So that's how I
really remember in the last shots.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
Yeah you didn't that Marcus Lee had to come in there,
and that's when he had played really well against Michigan
and Wisconsin. All right, So get to twenty fifteen. Did
you come back because you broke your ankle? If you
hadn't broken your ankle, would you have left?
Speaker 5 (09:26):
I was gone, Yeah, I was out of here.
Speaker 4 (09:28):
So I mean, I want to say a blessing in disguise?
Speaker 5 (09:31):
I was though, was it? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (09:33):
Why do you think that?
Speaker 7 (09:35):
Because I still don't think I was ready to go,
but I was gonna go just because of the mom
went to the shit Like what else can you do
better besides winning it? So I mean the draft boards
looked good and like everything was good. So like if
we would have won it, I probably definitely would have won.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Were you bummed out that you had to come back?
I mean, there's got to be a part of it.
It's like I was so close.
Speaker 7 (09:59):
I wasn't wasn't bummed just because I was hurt. So
it just made it like like, oh, I have so
much stuff that I want to get done. And like
I remember laying in the hospital but after surgery and
like talking to my boy Rex and was like, man,
I got like so many accolades. I still I haven't won.
I've never won anything, Like I think I want to
go back to school and do it. And then like
fast forward, we got all the accolades and.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
All right, so before you did that, we go to
the Bahamas.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
That was a good trip, all right, I'm I mean
we might as well just talk about that. I mean,
I mean, first of all years ago. You guys, you
guys had fun on that trip. I mean, that wasn't
just a basketball trip. You guys had fun, and I'm
not sure anyone had more fun than you.
Speaker 4 (10:44):
Like you.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
You you were, you were at the clubs, you were
at the bars.
Speaker 4 (10:49):
I mean, what do you what did you how did
you look at that trip?
Speaker 7 (10:53):
I was hurt, so you know, I had like a
morning workout and then I was done for the rest
of the day. I got to watch go basketball and
I was with all the boosters all day and.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Just yeah, you were with all the boosters, that's one
way to put it.
Speaker 7 (11:07):
Yeah, you were just just chilling meeting people. It was
a good time.
Speaker 5 (11:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (11:11):
I can remember.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
I would go to bed and my friends that stayed
out later, including this one, that would be when they
would see you show up.
Speaker 4 (11:19):
I was gonna show really some pictures and say do
you remember this moment? But I won't do that on radio.
We'll do that after the show.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
We've told I don't want to go into the details
on the morning show. This might be an uncensored podcast,
but we have hinted over the years at the moment
at the pool after you all did the ice Bucket challenge.
Do you remember you did the ice bucket challenge? And
do you remember you walked back to the pool. Do
you remember what was going on at the pool when
you when you showed up, Uh huh.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
Some people not in the UK party were having a
very good time.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
Maybe there was a middle of dancing going on in
the middle of the pool, and Cal and those guys
ran off.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
Do you remember that?
Speaker 5 (11:56):
Actually? I do know.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
You'll see that a lot of pools, not.
Speaker 5 (12:02):
No, not those, not that type of pool.
Speaker 4 (12:07):
Not that type of pool, but that group.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
It did strike me that that Bahamas trip did kind
of bring you guys together.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
By the end of the.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
Trip, you all seem to have a much bigger connection
maybe than you did before. Do you agree with that?
Speaker 5 (12:20):
I think so.
Speaker 7 (12:21):
I mean we had a lot of downtime too, where
you know, we were going parasitling and on the beach
Ryan jet skis and it's kind of like he took
us out on the boat and got to you know,
snorkel and do all types of stuff where we're just
all together. I think that's most One thing Kyl does
a really good job of is like putting you in
(12:42):
situations where you have to be around each other, Like
we have these temper peeding beds and we're gonna go
sleep on this floor instead of sleeping these temper peking beds,
you know what I mean. Like it's like stuff like that,
Like he just make you be together.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
Yeah, well let me I want to come back to
twenty fifteen, but let me talk about Cal for a second.
When you hear Caliperry is going to Arkansas, what is
your thought at that moment?
Speaker 7 (13:05):
Damn uh yeah, Like damn, that was It was unexpected.
I think I woke up to it, but I get it.
I get it at the same time, Like you know,
stuff is stagnant. You know, people need change. People need
change to keep keep things moving fresh. And so I
think it was a situation here where like, Okay, we're good,
(13:26):
but we're not as good as we need to be,
and you gotta make a change.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
And I think it's mutual.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
Yeah, I thought it was.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
I actually thought it was best for both parties for
that to happen.
Speaker 6 (13:37):
Did you.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
I always worried about how the former players saw it,
because we're here every day. I think we knew Cal
needed to change. I think we knew we as fans
needed to change. How did former players see it? Like
did you could you feel that that needed to happen?
Speaker 5 (13:54):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (13:54):
Yeah, I mean you can just you can just tell.
I mean, especially with the new like the way college
is now nil, Like we come from an era of
like we had to like scheme the like how to
get away with stuff like that, you know what I mean?
And now you don't have to do that, and like
now it's like does Kentucky wanted like fun into that?
Speaker 5 (14:14):
Well it didn't look like it. So I feel like
there's like a you know.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
But did you?
Speaker 3 (14:19):
I mean, I will just say and I I thought
he changed a little bit in the last few years.
Speaker 7 (14:25):
I think he got complacent, okay bit like like when
I was here, I feel like it was intense and
then like you come back and then like the way
he talks to the kids, like, well you didn't talk
to us like that?
Speaker 4 (14:35):
Is that right? Did you? Could you see a difference?
Speaker 7 (14:37):
Maybe not like it was like he was a little softer,
Like it wasn't like with us man, he was that's
Alex bro Like Alex got the worst of it. I
feel like, so I don't I don't I don't see
when I was here seeing that. I don't feel like
anybody else got like that type of Why.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
Did you think Alex got the worst of it? I
always thought Alex got the worst of it too. Why
do you think that was true?
Speaker 7 (14:56):
Cause he's just so big, Like he's just he was
supposed to, you know, he was like a a big
guard and a beast so but also like a very
you know, kind human spirited person. So I think cow
is just trying to bring out that monster out of him.
I don't think that's who he is, and so like
trying to bring that out just made him kind of
(15:16):
put him in a lower spot.
Speaker 6 (15:18):
Do you cheer well?
Speaker 3 (15:20):
On February first, Kentucky's gonna play Arkansas right down there?
Speaker 4 (15:25):
Are you gonna cheer for Kentucky?
Speaker 5 (15:27):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (15:27):
Okay, okay, I'm just making sure you know I But
do you cheer for Arkansas when they don't play Kentucky?
Speaker 5 (15:34):
No? No, I don't. I watched, but I ain't. No, yeah,
I'm not.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
No, you're a Kentucky guy.
Speaker 6 (15:44):
I love it.
Speaker 9 (15:44):
Have you been there yet or have any intentions at
least check in? I know some former players have at
least from UK gone and said hot to cal there.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
Have you made that charge.
Speaker 7 (15:51):
Yeah, I've made the I mean it's right around the corner.
My my wife she went to school there and stuff,
and she wants to go.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
But I'm like, have you met Mark Pope? Okay, how's
that go?
Speaker 7 (16:03):
Mark's nice and I like him. I George, Uh, I
joined the whole. The whole coaching staff was cool when
we were here. They took care of us too, So
I mean, I like what they got going on.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
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Speaker 9 (16:42):
So black and show Mario, but not with the camera.
Speaker 4 (16:46):
Okay, there's a great picture.
Speaker 6 (16:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
Vince Merriw just wrote me. He must be listening in.
He said, Uh, I saw Willie play football. He I
was at Nebraska watching him. He was a great football player. Great,
there you go, Vince Merrow the recruiter giving you the
thumbs up.
Speaker 5 (17:06):
That's a blessing.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
We'll take a break. Right back is Kentucky Sports Radio.
Walking back, it is Kentucky Sports Radio. One of Willi's
big fans just walked in here. Willie, you got fans
left and right all over the place.
Speaker 5 (17:21):
It's a blessing.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Really, it's gotta be awesome. I mean one of the
things you get to do that these players get to do.
What I know, you have a big heart. What is
it like to see the effect you have on just regular,
everyday fans.
Speaker 7 (17:38):
I don't think you like really realize it until like
it happens. You know, it's but it it's good.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
You know you get an emotional thinking about it.
Speaker 7 (17:47):
Yeah, yeah, like because you don't feel it all the time,
so when you come here, it's like you feel it
all the time.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
So Marcus Cousins used to say, look, I went to
the NBA. It was great, made a lot of money,
But my favorite year was my year here. There's a
way people embrace you here that just doesn't happen right
anywhere else.
Speaker 7 (18:06):
Yeah, I mean, I think they see you for who
you are, not just a basketball player or what you
do for the school.
Speaker 5 (18:13):
Like you know, they see who for you really are.
That's a big time.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
In two thousand and was it fourteen or fifteen? The
uh drawing on the sidewalk thing? Do you remember the
sidewalk shop.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
Yeah, so he was twenty fourteen.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
At the SEC tournament, they did these like profiles of
the big player on every team. And I remember you
guys were about to play Florida and Patrick Young was there,
really good player and.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
It said and it said Patrick Young.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
They were like, in his spare time, he goes out
and he chops wood and they showed him with an
axe and all this, and you all were about to
play him, and then they showed you and they were like,
for Kentucky, Willie Cauley's time. In his spare time, he
likes to go out on the sidewalk and do sidewalk
art with chal with chalk.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
And I was like, oh, that's how they did.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Yeah, Patrick Young chopping wood and you drawing on the
sidewalk with with with chalk.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
They did you bad on that one.
Speaker 5 (19:07):
It did me dirty for sure.
Speaker 4 (19:09):
You did you actually do that though?
Speaker 5 (19:11):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (19:11):
That was an art contest that I did in high school.
Speaker 5 (19:18):
ID to do yeah sidewalk?
Speaker 4 (19:20):
Yeah, they did you dirty on that one though, they did.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:23):
What about Hi dunking on Florida? They did coloring the sidewalk?
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Okay, So we were talking during the break about dunks.
Is that Florida dunk your best dunk?
Speaker 5 (19:30):
It's one of them? What's the best dunk in college?
Speaker 4 (19:33):
Yes?
Speaker 7 (19:35):
I don't know, man, I mean, that's the one that
we see all the time. I'm sure there's some other
ones that are since an actually Auburn one. My freshman
year was pretty crazy too, like the little I got
a little pitch from James Young at the three point
line and everybody's like, the hell did he catch it
at the three point line? For and I'm just like
looking like, oh, nobody's guarding me. One dribble boom and
(19:55):
I was like, oh that was fun. Now, I think
I wanted out the all the time.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Twenty fifteen, I'm gonna give you some moments I remember.
Get your quick take on first of all when you
all nearly held UCLA scoreless in the CBS Classic, maybe
the best defensive performance in the first half I've ever
seen a team half.
Speaker 4 (20:15):
I agreed, they couldn't even get shots off.
Speaker 5 (20:18):
Yeah, they were flustered, and that team.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
Went to the Sweet sixteen. They ended up being a
pretty good team.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
I mean, they were good, dude, they just not for us.
Speaker 4 (20:26):
Was that one of them? We're in the locker room,
You're like, oh.
Speaker 7 (20:29):
Wow, Actually I actually feel bad for them because like
they it was just the timing that we played them,
Like we had been going crazy, like either playing against
each other and then we're like playing in that little
thing and then it's like Christmas break, so it's like,
once this game is over, we're all getting on the
plane going home.
Speaker 5 (20:45):
So it was like, let's just finish this game so
we can go home.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
Did you start to feel the weight of the undefeated, Like,
was there a pressure on that group during SEC play?
Speaker 7 (20:57):
No, I think the pressure didn't happen until after when
we were first going in. I feel like that's when
it was that's when we were hearing it the most.
Like during the SEC it was like whatever, But like
once that was over, when we were going into the tournament.
Then it was like a different type of pressure because
now everybody's in the same boat. But now it's like,
(21:19):
are you gonna go undefeated and win this? That's different
than just like, oh, going undefeated in the tournament and
then you win in but it's like as the whole?
Do you start thinking as the whole at that point?
Speaker 3 (21:28):
There's an argument fans have sometimes which is there's this
argument that there are people who wanted you to lose
a game because they go back to ninety six and
twenty twelve, two great teams I think, along with twenty fifteen,
those are the great teams of my lifetime. They both
lost in the SEC tournament finals and then won the title.
And there have been people who said, I wish they
would have lost. Do you think it would have helped
(21:50):
you to lose? I always argue no, but maybe I'm wrong.
Do you think it would have helped you to lose?
I don't think what's the difference. I agree you just lost.
Now you lost.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
But you don't think like that would have helped As
the tournament went.
Speaker 7 (22:04):
On, well, you just well know, because so you lose
and then you still it's one game at a time
you lose again and you're over like you win, you win,
So it's regardless we put the pressure on ourselves. The
pressure was gone because the only way it matter was
to lose in the sec right, So after that's over,
everybody has to go undefeated.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
Now that's a really good point, know what I mean?
So that we lose, all right, So you lost, but.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
I thought the only team going into the tournament, the
only team I thought had a chance to beat you all,
was Wisconsin just because.
Speaker 5 (22:32):
Of the way they played matchup.
Speaker 4 (22:35):
Do you agree with that?
Speaker 5 (22:36):
Yeah? Yeah, So look.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
I know you don't want to think about it, but
tell me about that game.
Speaker 7 (22:43):
Uh, I mean, they just got it. They got us
on a on a night that like we hadn't been
in a position like that where you know, we're necessarily
down in the last few minutes of the game, and
like you know, we're used to putting pressure on other
people on that side of the things. And what our
last three possession, we had two shot clock violations in
(23:04):
an airball like doesn't happen. That hadn't happened the whole year.
They had a shot that was a shot clut, it
was a shotguk.
Speaker 4 (23:12):
They should have called it.
Speaker 6 (23:13):
Right, I should have called it.
Speaker 4 (23:14):
He didn't call it still makes me, still makes everybody mad.
Speaker 6 (23:17):
You think about it, and.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
You know I'm friends with Big Cat and he's Sam
Decker's friend. I still hate Sam Decker. It's not what
it was root of him to win that game. Will
you all should have been undefeated. We should have It
was rude.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
We'll take a break right back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio.
TJ Smith, personal injury attorney called TJ. He'll make them.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Pay no more of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
Here's Matt Jones.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Welcome back Tucky Sports Radio eight. But I'm nine two
eight twenty two eighty seven. Willie given a nice surprise
to the people that came here. Give yourselves a round
of applause. Those of you that guy here early didn't
even know you were gonna get this. And so thanks
to doctor Mike Wong who is giving out pictures uh
that he took of Willy with his dunk against Cincinnati
and now he's signing him, which is very very nice.
(24:03):
One person writes, Matt, I was here on campus when
Willie was on his visit in the higahtt lobby. I
went up and asked for a picture, and he said,
why do you want my picture? I don't think he
realized what he was getting into. Is that is that?
Is that possible?
Speaker 5 (24:18):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (24:18):
I did not, did you?
Speaker 3 (24:20):
I mean, did you have any idea what you were
walking into when you came to Lexington?
Speaker 7 (24:24):
No, I'm I'm from Kansas, man. I didn't even know
what Kentucky basketball was so before like calling him actually
came to my house, it was Kansas.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
So when you walk on campus and all of a
sudden people are just coming up to you and wanting
pictures and all that, is it just like it's got
to be a crazy change.
Speaker 4 (24:43):
Isn't it.
Speaker 5 (24:45):
For the better? Yeah? For the better? I don't know.
Speaker 7 (24:48):
You just you just realized how much impact you can
have on people. So like you gotta just I don't
know you. There's there's a couple of ways you can
take it. You can either be like the asshole, or
you can be like the guy that's it's out here
for two hours and sign everybody's autographs. I feel like
that's the that's the route that I took.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
And you've always been like that. I mean, I that's
one of the things I appreciate about you is that
you throughout the time you seem to be like, I'm
going to talk to these people.
Speaker 5 (25:15):
I get it.
Speaker 7 (25:15):
I'm I'm small town kids, so like I understand, I
was that kid that was standing outside of a Dia
City Legends game trying to get an autograph from a
semi pro guy.
Speaker 6 (25:27):
Is that right? You go to G League games trying to.
Speaker 7 (25:29):
Get wasn't even G League at that time, you know
what I mean. It's just like below that in Southwest Kansas.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
There's a young woman here who you met when you
were at UK when she was like a child, and
she's come to see you again.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
How does that make you feel?
Speaker 7 (25:46):
I think those are the craziest ones. Like now, when
I come back, it'd be like all the students are
were children, you know, and they're like, oh, yeah, you
signed my iPhone five, and I'm like, iPhone five, sheesh.
Speaker 4 (25:59):
I mean, wait, you get to do it as long
as I have.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
When people are like my dad used to come watch
you when he was in college, and You're like, are
you kidding?
Speaker 4 (26:06):
Yeah, I mean it's it's it's it's wild.
Speaker 7 (26:08):
And I look in the mirror and I'm like, well,
I don't feel like that exactly what You're changed that
much and I'm like looking there like grown.
Speaker 5 (26:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
One person writes, Matt, I think Willy had the best
death stare I've ever seen. Does he remember the death
stare he gave Montres Harrald during the Louisville game.
Speaker 7 (26:26):
Yeah, it's hard to hard to get past that one.
That one gets shown every year or too.
Speaker 4 (26:31):
That was pretty good. He went blind.
Speaker 1 (26:33):
Remember that every year Louisville comes into Roperena. That video
is on the the intro video blood.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
It was the same game game, That's right.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
One person writes, you know, ask Willy what his favorite
thing about Cali Perry was.
Speaker 4 (26:53):
What was your favorite thing about Cal Perry?
Speaker 7 (26:55):
Uh, it's just like the way like he empowers us
to be who we are, but then like shows us
like what to how to like use that after ball.
So a lot of the stuff that I learned from
Cal had nothing to do with basketball. I mean it
was just more like how to carry yourself off the floor,
and like you're a brand and you know how to
(27:17):
make money after this and I god of you know,
set up your family, Like we're in a position to
you know, stop generational curses and stuff like that. So
I mean, I like really paid attention to that type
of stuff.
Speaker 3 (27:28):
Yeah, one person Wrights ask Willie of all the cal
big men, where does he think he ranks? We that's
a tough question for you, all right, So just for
your time at Kentucky, not what happens in the NBA.
If I'm thinking about, Let's just go through the various
really good big men here. Start with. You had DeMarcus
h George Nerland's, Anthony Davis, you, Carl Oscar who else
(27:55):
whom I am? Bam, that's a really good one. Julius Randall,
Julius rand you play with a lot of these guys. Willie,
You're sitting there and you're going, all right, where do
I where?
Speaker 6 (28:05):
Where do you put yourself in that list?
Speaker 5 (28:08):
Shoot? Top three, not three? Top three?
Speaker 4 (28:12):
Top three, not three?
Speaker 3 (28:14):
So let me if I if I were going to
put your list just at UK, okay, not what happens
after u K. I think it's the top four to
me in some order? Is a d DeMarcus Oscar?
Speaker 6 (28:30):
You?
Speaker 3 (28:31):
I think that's the top four at UK? Come on, man,
you you want to you can be a broadcaster. Give
ranked those four for me, I.
Speaker 7 (28:39):
Mean where the accolades say, what the numbers say, Well,
the numbers will.
Speaker 6 (28:42):
Probably put you two, but the accolades may put him one.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
Well Anthony had similar Yeah, Anthony and him he got
the chip.
Speaker 7 (28:49):
We'll put Anthony first just because you got a chip.
So you canna put you second. Defensive Player of the year.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
When you sweep National Player of the year, Defensive player
of the year, Conference player of the Year, Conference defensive Player.
Speaker 7 (29:04):
Of the year, see Tournament player of the Year like
also one two sports two sports star on that list.
Speaker 4 (29:11):
No other wide receivers other than Will. I think that
also gives them a bull.
Speaker 7 (29:13):
I don't think there were any otherwise, just saying, man,
there's a lot of things. It's kind of going my
way to But I agree.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
You know, I mean, if you look at the accolades this,
I don't think there's any debate.
Speaker 4 (29:26):
We've talked about that.
Speaker 10 (29:27):
Like the.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
Dude, dude, where I'm going. If you're just looking at
the accolades, your jersey should be up there one day
because there is no one Ryan that's correct. I mean,
the amount of people that have those accolades is on
one hand, wouldn't you agree.
Speaker 6 (29:43):
There's no doubt about it.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
You put that just based on what he did here,
the accolades he received after his junior year, it's a
no brainer that he gets his jersey retired.
Speaker 5 (29:51):
I agree, I long I've been wondering the same thing.
I've been here for three years.
Speaker 4 (29:56):
Also about the graduate you're about to graduate. Talk to
me about that.
Speaker 7 (30:01):
Came back. I got like another semester left spring semester.
Actually after this, I'm going on campus. I got a
couple of classes. I gotta start doing well.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
Why was that important to you?
Speaker 7 (30:13):
On mem I'm done with, you know, playing, but I
want to I want to get into coaching, and so
it's a coach.
Speaker 5 (30:19):
You gotta have a degree.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
So you want to be a coach. What what do
you You were gonna start that next year? You hope
on the college level.
Speaker 5 (30:27):
Now, I think I want to do high school.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
High school.
Speaker 7 (30:29):
Yeah, I think I could like serve the kids better,
like young adults moving into that college level.
Speaker 3 (30:41):
I've always felt like, probably more uniquely than any player
that has played here since I've done it. You have,
and you feel free to correct me. An artistic personality,
A very like you have a huge heart. It's not
your typical basketball player way of looking at the world.
(31:03):
That's hard for me to really describe how you hit
it on the head, am I right talk to me
about that.
Speaker 7 (31:09):
I think it just goes like you seen my grandparents.
You guys met him like that was my parents. So
like I was raising that type of you know, small
town environment. They never in probably their whole life, thought
they would come to Kentucky and watch their you know,
son playing move on to the NBA and stuff like that.
So I don't know what that that type of do.
You don't know, like and it was like all it
(31:29):
was like a gift for all of us. I don't know,
you carry that with you so like it's all the gifts.
So like, you know, I got to learn a lot
doing that, and I just feel like there's a lot
of like kids that are like me that I could
like share that too. So that's why I feel like
the high school level would be fun.
Speaker 3 (31:45):
I think you said to me once that you tended
to gravitate towards people kind of left out a little bit.
I remember you saying to me in one of the
interviews a long time ago that you kind of looked
for the kid that's off to the side by.
Speaker 4 (31:57):
Himself or herself. Is that right?
Speaker 7 (32:01):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I feel like I was that person.
Like I was just tall, so I was in the back,
you know what I mean. But like you always wanted
to be in the front. You always wanted to dance
around and stuff, but like never, you know, for some reason,
you never did. And so like I look for that.
I look for those type of people that you really
know that they want to be in the mix, but
like either too embarrassed or you know, don't know themselves
(32:22):
like that or haven't learned themselves like that to like
put themselves in that position. So like sometimes you got
to force them in that role.
Speaker 4 (32:29):
You've traveled the world a little bit with basketball. Where
all have you been?
Speaker 5 (32:34):
It's taking me far? I don't know.
Speaker 7 (32:36):
Like when I played in Italy, Man, we got to
play in like a different country every other day, I passport,
got stamps. What town did you play for in Italy verse, Oh, okay,
forty five minutes from Alan, which Alex was actually playing
there at the time.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Wow, So you were in Milan. Did you get into
fashion and all that stuff when you were there? I didn't.
I wasn't there long enough. Honestly, Uh, it was nice
there though he was probably stuck out a little bit there,
just a little bit. Yeah, maybe maybe just a little bit.
Speaker 4 (33:07):
All right.
Speaker 7 (33:07):
So it's also riding a motorcycle around, like one of
those little cal vestments, like a motor, like a like
a real micro rocket crowd rocket, yeah.
Speaker 5 (33:19):
Four motive.
Speaker 4 (33:20):
Okay, all right, well that's uh, I guess zooming.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
So when you do you you watch Kentucky, you were
here for the game, sad, What do you think about
this Kentucky team?
Speaker 7 (33:29):
I like them, man, I mean we're just we can score.
I feel like even even in the SEC period, Like
I ain't never seen so many like good teams in
the SEC. You like watch them, like looking at their
records as they pop up, and everybody got like twelve wins.
Speaker 4 (33:46):
You know, league's a lot better than when you were
in it. Like I mean, you guys would.
Speaker 7 (33:49):
Have like three or four probably like five teams that
were you know, I think at one point, I mean
we had like US Tennessee, Florida, you know what I mean,
we're all into like.
Speaker 5 (33:57):
The Elite eight.
Speaker 7 (33:58):
At one point it was like three or four SEC
teams and it was I mean, I thought that was crazy,
but like seeing it this year.
Speaker 5 (34:04):
I mean, I like, we're the Power Conference.
Speaker 4 (34:06):
Oh no, without for sure, right, without question.
Speaker 7 (34:09):
But everybody's scoring almost one hundred points and nobody's playing defense, so.
Speaker 4 (34:14):
They don't play defense.
Speaker 5 (34:15):
Whoever, whoever decides to play defense is going to win
it for sure.
Speaker 4 (34:18):
Well hopefully that's us.
Speaker 6 (34:19):
Willy.
Speaker 3 (34:20):
I want to thank you very much for for coming
in tonight. You're always generous with your time. Last thing
before you go, how crazy was the TBT tournament in Louisville?
Speaker 5 (34:30):
It was? It was fun. It was fun.
Speaker 7 (34:33):
I mean I never played Freedom Hall in neither, so
it was like a literally like a first for me.
Saw he got punched, I know, and I mean he
got a crazy.
Speaker 5 (34:41):
Video going on there.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
Run it back next year.
Speaker 5 (34:43):
Yeah, I'm running it back for sure.
Speaker 4 (34:45):
That was great.
Speaker 3 (34:46):
I love that you guys still fight with the Louisville
people ten years later.
Speaker 5 (34:50):
It's then not us, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 4 (34:53):
Yeah, it's it's not you. You're not a fighter ever. Yeah,
I like it.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
Well, Willy, thank you very much, thanks for being with
with your time here and with all these folks.
Speaker 4 (35:01):
Everybody, give it round of applause.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
Totar man here Willie Cauley's time, We're gonna take a
break at come Back final segment. This is Kentucky Sports Radio.
Welcome back Tucky Sports Radio. You know we were just
at gray Line Station in Lexington Friday with Club Blue Bourbon.
Drew and Ryan helped design it. So we're coming back
again this coming Friday, second in a row. Bespoken Spirits
(35:23):
helps Club Blue Bourbon, which helps nil for the UK athletes.
They also make Lynyrd Skinnerds whiskey, which I didn't know
until Friday. So they will have tours tasting cocktails and
more this Friday from four to seven. And remember we
are back there ten am this Friday at Bespoken Spirits
in gray Line. Learn more at Bespokenspirits dot com. And
(35:44):
remember I'm giving away UK Bama tickets there Friday. We
gave five hundred dollars away last Friday. UK Bama tickets
is Friday. I kept Willy on for a second because
I had to get him to hear this song. Do
you remember the Kentucky Joe song I'm an Willie Cauley steinman.
Speaker 5 (36:03):
I don't think I could forget it.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
You did hear it? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (36:07):
Well, Kentucky Jones, Kentucky Jones. He's had some health problems,
but he will he has legendary songs. Oh yeah, this
has found it from the archives. So Shannon, go ahead
and play I'm a Willie cally steinman.
Speaker 5 (36:20):
All right, here we go.
Speaker 8 (36:22):
Oh, I'm a willy college man. I'm a willy college man.
My God said, look, Goden, that forgot the Oh I'm
so so hoorrin I'm a willy college Oh got.
Speaker 10 (36:51):
So?
Speaker 4 (36:58):
How good is that?
Speaker 6 (36:59):
Willy?
Speaker 3 (37:00):
Not most of us don't get songs written like that
about us.
Speaker 6 (37:03):
You're right, that's not good. That's awful.
Speaker 4 (37:07):
That is so bad. Give it a grade, Willie.
Speaker 7 (37:10):
That's an A plus, an A plus, a plus.
Speaker 4 (37:15):
All right, Willie, thank you very much.
Speaker 3 (37:17):
I appreciate it that he's been nice enough to sign
a picture for everybody here with Mike.
Speaker 4 (37:22):
Doctor Michael walm has this great picture of him dunking on. See.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
This is why you have to come to remote. You
never know when you're gonna get something like this is
a heck. This would be a fifteen hundred dollars picture
right here.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
This is a heck of a bonus. He signed several
of them for everybody here. Each table got one, So
thank you to doctor Wong and thanks to Willie.
Speaker 4 (37:38):
Very nice of both of them to do that.
Speaker 5 (37:40):
All.
Speaker 4 (37:40):
Right, Before we get out here, I do want to
talk about Cameron and Dave fighting. They scream at each
other on the pregame show.
Speaker 3 (37:47):
Ryan, you and Drew were the first ones to point
it out because I hadn't listened to a lot of
them and I turned it on Saturday.
Speaker 4 (37:54):
I thought they were going to kill each other.
Speaker 6 (37:57):
I like, we all liked Drew, I like.
Speaker 1 (38:00):
You, We do like Drew, right, we do like Drew.
He's sitting right here. Dave and Can. We like them both.
But man, they fight like little teenage girls. Man, they
really go at it.
Speaker 6 (38:09):
Like do they think he's it real? No, they like
each other. I think it's just the the part of
the show. You have to tune in to listen to it.
Speaker 3 (38:18):
People think I'm mean to you, like you should listen
to the two of them. You think I mean to Ryan?
Who listen to how Cameron and Dave talk to each other.
Speaker 4 (38:27):
It's a very very contentious preview.
Speaker 5 (38:29):
I agree.
Speaker 9 (38:30):
We saw him right before the show started the other day.
Everybody's in great spirits and I get in my car
and they're like, are you gonna let me talk? Are
you done talking?
Speaker 5 (38:37):
So?
Speaker 9 (38:37):
I don't know if it's a bit, but radio. I
enjoy catching it. I hear every one of them.
Speaker 4 (38:42):
I think they are I think that's just how they are.
Speaker 3 (38:46):
But they are like two old people who have lived
with each other for so long. It's it that they
are going to kill each other.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
The show before this one, they were arguing about what
you called the pregame shoot around, and I thought they
were gonna fight, just arguing over that.
Speaker 4 (39:01):
It's good radium. I don't miss it. Yeah, I think people.
I think people either love it or hate it.
Speaker 3 (39:05):
There are some people who write me and go, I
cannot listen to these two scream at each other.
Speaker 4 (39:10):
I texted you all eight minutes into that show. Are
you listening? They're fighting already.
Speaker 6 (39:14):
I look for it.
Speaker 3 (39:15):
Let me just say this, because I there's a young
woman who has come to show, who is in a
wheelchair and who was the person that that that Willy
knew when he played here, and he's sitting here talking
to her right now, and I think it's one of
the sweetest things I've ever seen, the way that girl
lit up when she walked in here and or she
(39:35):
was brought in here and saw her like.
Speaker 4 (39:37):
That's that's what this is, right, this is what Kentucky
basketball is. That goes to what Mark Pope did on Saturday.
Speaker 3 (39:44):
And it goes to the like it's I'm trying to
finish the show because it's so sweet right here in.
Speaker 4 (39:49):
Front of us.
Speaker 1 (39:50):
The backstory was Olivia was four years old, went to
daycare and said she was I'm gonna marry Willie cully Stein.
And so he went on his own and met her
for lon when she was four years old. Now here
she is fourteen to see him.
Speaker 4 (40:03):
I'm watching He's showing videos of his kids to her.
Speaker 9 (40:06):
She was mad he had a wife. We heard that part.
She didn't know about that. But he's just showing off
his family.
Speaker 3 (40:10):
Just one of the sweetest things I've seen, Shannon, Who's next?
Speaker 4 (40:13):
Seth, Seth? Go ahead, Seth.
Speaker 10 (40:18):
Hey, Hey, hey man? Uh good? Or I called in
on the pregame show yes the other day for Josh
Hubbard and Lamot Butler's matchup. I felt like lamp Butler
was taking candy from a baby.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
He really the matchup, I mean, especially defensively offensively.
Speaker 6 (40:40):
He struggled.
Speaker 3 (40:41):
You said, he started one for nine, but then you
know the the defense Butler played. I appreciate the call, Seth,
especially at the end. I mean, it was clear Hubbard
was taking that last shot and Butler did not give
him an inch.
Speaker 9 (40:54):
I joke about Championship Chess because Pope said a bunch
of that video. But he does get that chest out
and will not let anyone get around him when they're
trying to drive to the basket. And Hubbard's so good
at that, and he's got that lateral quickness. He's just
such a great on ball defender that they could not
get anything against him.
Speaker 6 (41:09):
It said.
Speaker 1 (41:09):
Lamont had him rattled, and Hubbard's their their main star,
like he had thirty four to thirty six against his
last year. Butler had him rattled that game.
Speaker 3 (41:17):
I I Butler. You know, Butler is even what I
like about him. Even if he's not shooting well, he
is in the game. He's making passes and he plays
the defense. He is our He's our best defender by far,
and it's great to watch him do it.
Speaker 9 (41:33):
And I wanted to ad when we were talking about rebounding.
I didn't get to work this in Otega. Oh way,
I assume Pope told the guards to crash the glass
and help he and Lamont more so. O way, in
the last game, we're a big help inside rebounding two
Oa had like eight or nine rebounds he didn't get
at Yeah, so when they weren't scoring and making shots,
they found other ways to impact.
Speaker 4 (41:50):
That is that's a very good point. DraftKings.
Speaker 3 (41:52):
Uh that five get two hundred dollars Uh in free
bonus bets with Draft Kings that we had a big
weekend KSR.
Speaker 6 (41:59):
Parla hit it did? Yes, it did plus four fifty.
Speaker 4 (42:03):
Five if you if you bet it, I picked that one.
How about that?
Speaker 6 (42:07):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 3 (42:08):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (42:08):
We need a Buffalo win yesterday and if.
Speaker 3 (42:11):
KSR bet five, get two hundred dollars from our good
friends at DraftKings.
Speaker 4 (42:15):
No huge games tonight except Rutgers.
Speaker 3 (42:18):
Rutgers, who has the second and third projected picks in
the draft, is eight to eight, and if they're gonna
make the tournament, they probably went. We need to win
to night at home against u c l A, a
ranked UCLA team who wins at Sall.
Speaker 4 (42:32):
He's a three and a half point favorite. Has Mick
Cronin calmed down yet He's been on one lately.
Speaker 3 (42:38):
I did say his house is kind of in danger
in La, so giving.
Speaker 4 (42:41):
A break before that, Even before that, he's been a
little crazy.
Speaker 9 (42:44):
Yeah, they've They've had some locker room issues there aside
from everything else going on. But I'll still pick them
to win tonight.
Speaker 6 (42:49):
The one good kid is Ron Harper's son that plays for.
Speaker 4 (42:51):
Two good kids. Yeah, I say they win tonight.
Speaker 3 (42:54):
I say they win pull off the upset because if
they're gonna make the tournament, they better start winning tonight. Hey,
thank you guys very much coming out and joining us.
Thanks to Willie cauley Stein for being here as well.
Speaker 4 (43:04):
We'll see you tomorrow.
Host
Matt Jones
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