May 8, 2025 • 38 mins
Tom talks with Larry Vaught, Jack Givens, and Justin Rowland.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, everyone, Welcome in. It is the Leach Report for
a Thursday, presented as always by Bobcat Enterprises. Coming up today,
we'll check you in when Larry Vaud he couldn't be
with us on Tuesday, so we've moved him into the
leadoff slot on Thursday. The Goose, Jack Gibbings and Justin
Rowland from Cats Illustrated dot Com and we segue right
(00:24):
into the Wildcat news of the day. And one of
the things we'll be talking about is the uk UFL
men's basketball game has been set for November, the eleventh
earliest ever for the two rivals to meet up. It'll
be a Tuesday night at the KFC Young Center. It's
the second time that they've played in November since the
(00:46):
series resumed in the eighty three eighty four season, the
first time or and it'll be the first time since
the ninety three to ninety four season that they've played
in November. The only previous time was the very first
game of the revived series back in November of nineteen
eighty three. I remember getting a chance, my dad and
(01:06):
I got tickets to get to go to that one,
and it was at Rapperina. After the Dream Game the
previous March in Knoxville, and there's a famous Sports Illustrated
cover that you can probably find online somewhere. It was
Kentucky won the game sixty five to forty four, and
(01:29):
Sam Buie was one of the stars with the stat
sheet that stuffed the several boxes. We'll punch it up
here and I'll pull this up. But it was at Raperena,
Kentucky won sixty five to fifty four, and there's a
big there's a picture of say, I'm on the cover
of Sports Illustrated the next week swatting a shot away
(01:54):
in that game at Rapperina. So that will pop up
at some point, I'm sure as the one of the
two times that they played in November, and we'll find
it here. Let me scroll down here and find it there.
It is sixty five forty four. Sam had ten rebounds,
(02:14):
five blocks, five assists, three steals, seven points, kind of
like the Anthony Davis game in the Final four against
U of L. He didn't make a shot, got all
his points on free throws. But ten boards, five assists,
three steals, five blocks. Pretty impressive stat line for a
big boo. And he was on the cover of Sports
(02:35):
Illustrated the next week. This will be a week ahead
of the Champions Classic, which is in the third week
of November this year, as far as I can remember,
for the first time ever, it's always been in that
second week of November slot on a Tuesday night. So
what this would mean I assume is in consecutive weeks
(02:56):
Kentucky would be in a slot playing a game around
the College Football Playoff Rankings show that is on ESPN,
and obviously rough I was a big number in terms
of eyeballs, so it's a sort of a good spot
for exposure. I think probably for fans, they would prefer
(03:18):
a Saturday afternoon or evening in December, but Kentucky's already
booked down in Nashville for the first weekend in December
against Gonzaga on a Friday night. The Indiana game is
the next week, and there'll be a lot of excitement
for that revival the following Saturday, and that'll be the
probably I guess, the one of the two Marquee home
games of the non conference because the acc SEC Challenge
(03:42):
would be the other. But that'll be a midweek game,
and then the third week of December will be the
much anticipated matchup between Kentucky and Saint John's down in
Atlanta in the CBS Sports Classic, and then I don't
know that they have anything yet for that Saturday after Christmas.
Between Christmas and New Year's so little schedule news. It
just kind of comes out in pieces over the course
(04:05):
of the spring and summer, and it'll be still a
while before we get the full list of games, and
then even later than that to get the times. But
you know that one now Kentucky U of L. So
we'll talk about that a little bit with our guests
on the show today. Football picked up another transfer yesterday,
(04:26):
an offensive lineman Cameron Jones from James Madison. I hope
it turns out as well as all the transfers from
JMU that went to Indiana when their coach left to
go coach the Hoosers. Six six three thirty got three
years left, and as we talked yesterday, this is a
time when with John Hale, Kentucky's trying to get depth
(04:48):
for various position groups and so they've added a running back,
a tight end and a couple but I guess what
three offensive linemen in recent weeks. So they picked up
some depth in the spots where they needed to get it.
So those were the boxes that they needed to check,
and so they have done that. Not guys that we
(05:11):
don't we believe are going to be starters certainly anytime soon.
But all of the guys that they're bringing in do
have multiple years of eligibility left. You never know these
days if it's going to be at the same school.
But nevertheless, there's a chance that they could stay with
your program and maybe develop into more significant contributors than
(05:32):
any of them. These recent editions figure to be this
coming season. Links to the stories that we talk about
each day. You can find those on the bud Light
Leach Report page at Tom leachkwhy dot com. Larry Vonnald
joined us when we come right back. Our opening segment's
always presented by just Sepies of Lexington. Mother's Days coming
up this weekend, and I would imagine they're already books
(05:52):
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(06:14):
can enjoy the live jazz music every night of the week.
It is just a really wonderful experience at Giuseppes off
Nicholasville Road, just outside Man of War Boulevard here at Lexington.
We'll be right back with Larry Vaught. It's the Leads
Report coming to you from the Clarks Pumpin' Shop studio.
Return refresh and refuel at Clark's and get their new
loyalty get their new app to get the loyalty rewards
(06:36):
program that'll get your discounts on fuel and items in
their stores. Larry Vott joins us now from your Sports
Edge dot com and Advance Views and the Sunday morning
sports talk show here in Lexington. And I was just
talking in the opening segment Larry about the date being
set for the UKU of l game and referencing a
Sports Illustrated cover Kentucky dominated that game first one after
(07:01):
the Dream Game, and I found the cover, just posted
a link to it from SI on my x feed
at Tom Leach K White and I just noticed here
for two things I noticed on the Sports Illustrated cover.
Number one is the person who shot is being blocked
as Jeff Hall from Fairview High School, who was a
(07:22):
great player at u of L. And then how short
the shorts are.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Yeah, that's a little different back in the day. You
weren't they the guys would think about those now? And
but yeah, yeah, Kentucky Louisville before the basketball before Kentucky Louiwell,
football just doesn't seem right. But I also remember back
when the series got renewed that Joe Hall thought the
game should be played in early November, and Denny Crumb
(07:51):
wanted it in December. So I guess eventually things come
full circle. And I don't know the exact reasons due
to Purple lots of speculation for the game being played
this early, but again, it just kind of mark Pope,
I'm sure, or is that kind of guy? Okay, this scale,
we'll go play it. I think that's the best attitude
to have about it. But it's certainly going to be strange,
(08:13):
and it sure also seems like this game had been
a Saturday in December.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Well, I'm sure got a whole lot more national attention.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
But it'll get plenty of attention in the state, so
I guess that's all that matters.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Yeah, unfortunately, rarely seems to be in a spot where
it gets the maximum attention. We all think it's a
rivalry is even better than Carolina Duke, and not a
whole lot of people outside the Commonwealth that I think
seem to agree with us, but that one gets such
a high profile spot. I'd love to see a game
(08:46):
like this in the middle of the season. I mean,
you know, Mark Pope may I want that, or Coach
Kelsey at U of L. But you know when they
used to play for a few years, that Big twelve
SEC Challenge game the weekend before the Super Bowl. I
would love to see college basketball. And this is just
you know, kind of you know, summer fan topic show
(09:07):
kind of thing, but have those kind of matchups over
a series of Saturdays. You know, it's SEC, you know,
ACC one weekend, and then the next weekend it's you know,
Big ten and Big East, and it's you know, Big
twelve and somebody else, and you kind of I think
as football seasons has ended or is about to end,
(09:30):
at that point kind of helps you ramp the interest
up for the NCAA.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Tournament absolutely an hour.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
There's so many teams from different conferences that make the
NCAA tournaments.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Not where you've got the pressure.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Everybody's got to stay so focused on on the conference
season because one game can change everything for them. And no,
it's not quite that way anymore. I would love to
see it too. I still think back to what the
mid eighties when Kentucky played Houston on Super Bowl Sunday. Still, yeah,
best crowds ever seen for a Kentucky basketball game. I
(10:03):
know we're going back forty years, which us old guys
do that a lot, but still, those kind of things
back in the old days were really good and it's
just kind of a shame you can't see that again.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
And I think that's probably.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Why the Kentucky or the North Carolina Duke series has
looked at so much more, such a better rivalry nationally,
because it is a conference situation and they played twice,
but it's always in mid to late season when more
eyes are just on college basketball.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Yeah, my grumpy old man take on the something that
is referred to as like a musty reference or something.
Look it up. It's never been easier. We had to
use encycled Encyclopedia Britannica. You have Google. It's really easy
to look it up if you don't know what we're
talking about.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
So yeah, and I've got a set of encyclopedias that
they'd like to have it.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
I just can't make myself throw them away. The know
what to do with them.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
That's great. Somebody throughout the idea somewhere I read something yesterday.
Would this ever work? If you could pull it off
to have the uk U of L weekend basketball game
on a Friday night football game on a Saturday afternoon
or evening.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Well, I think time we've learned to never say never anymore,
so you probably could.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
You could throw a volleyball game in on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
There you go, that's true, you could do that. It's
a you know, we'll get the full schedule here, but
it's certainly going to be you know, challenging whenever it
comes out, because they've added you know, Indiana, which will
be one of the marquee games in RUP along with
whoever they get in the ACC Challenge. But that'll be
a week night, so the Indiana game will be a Saturday,
(11:46):
hopefully a Saturday afternoon. I think I think fans for
whatever reason. It loves Saturday afternoon games in December.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Absolutely, and how account to be one of those throwback
games or we used to with the way I grew
up watching and enjoying. And the Big Four Classic up
in Indianapolis is always one of my favorite events to
go to. And I'm glad to see the series getting
started again. I was at Bloomington when it ended, and
I hope this will kind of get things going back
(12:13):
with that because I think a lot a lot of
older fans really like that Kentucky Indiana series.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Give me a quick take on the additions for football
with the transfer portal. They were not looking for starters,
They just needed to find depth, but they seemingly checked
the boxes for finding the depth where they needed it most, right.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
I thought, well, I guess we kind of get us
got of weight and hope and see. I mean, I
don't think they're guys that were going to see these
last four or five on the field a lot next year,
or well, I was going to say, if we do,
we probably need to worry. I think unless they're going
to I'll be major surprises to us. But they have
certainly loaded up. They've got what I think now a
total of twenty offensive linemen and tight ends on the team.
(12:59):
That's why almost the fourth of your scholarship personnel. So
for a and then Mark Pope talk Mark Sooop's talking
about want to get back to a more physical running
style of football.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
That sure seems like the way that he's gone with that.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
But again, when you're trying to fill out a roster,
I would think it's hard to find.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Pieces that feel like what you want.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
And they seem to have been able to do that,
kind of like I think Mark Pope did when he
brought in Rhys Potter to fill out I think fill
out his roster for next year.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
I sometimes, you know, these things are an open book
test if you want to, you know, ask how Kentucky's
going to play. The style of play this season I
think is pretty evident.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Yeah yeah, Now I've got a lot of receivers on
the roster too. But I think they've loaded up an
offensive line, and I include the tight ends and that
because we all know they're not going to throw it
thirty times to any tight end. So I think they've
loaded up where they could be that physical running style
that Mark wants. I think He's got some running backs
that could fit in to that. So hopefully that's what
(14:02):
we're going to see. That if you win, every offense
is good.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
That's true. And I always thought one of the most
fun offenses was and I think it was Eddie's Eddie
Grant's first year is OC when Steven Johnson was the quarterback,
and I said, I always said, it reminded me of
the the old Oakland Raiders from the sixties and seventies.
We had the Mad Bomber Daryl Lamonica quarterback, and you
(14:27):
had huge physical offensive line, power running game, and then
when you got locked in on trying to stop that,
they would throw it over the top. There are you
still there?
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry about that, Tom.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
But yeah, that that was a you know, they didn't
have what they needed yet defensively, but they they were
a lot of fun to watch. They put up some
big numbers that year.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Yeah, yeah, they did. That would be that would be
great to see that again. And it's it's just kind
of hard for me any to get a real feel
for what I think Kentucky's football team is going to be. Like,
I mean, I think the coaches are a lot more
cautious of what they're saying this year after some of
their optimism didn't exactly pan out last year. I think
I believed what they were telling us last year. It
(15:14):
just didn't work out for whatever reason. So I think
they're being really cautious in what they tell us. They've
got a lot of new pieces that we're going to
have to see how they fit together. But after four
and eight, I feel like it can only go up,
or hopefully it can only go up.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
You know, these days people always say, you know, how
do you fill a show in the summer? If you
just took every show but between now and the say
the start of football season, and talked about a new
player that would probably do it for football and basketball
and maybe had women's basketball, that would get you through
the summer.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
Yeah, it's true.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
I mean, just like talk about Kentucky's got fifteen offensive
linemen on the team for next year, and only four
of them are on the team this year. That's two
weeks worth the show is just to talk about each
of the new offensive line.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
There they go, Larry, thank you much, all right, tom
As Larry Vaught from your sports Edge dot com and
The Study Warning sports talk show we'll be right back
with the Ghost Jack Givings. It's the lead Report radio
network let Traverse presented by Bob kNN Enterprises for locations
around the States. So when you need some heavy equipment
for a job, or you know someone who do tractors, loaders, forklifts,
(16:21):
et cetera, that's where you need to go. They'll take
great care of you after the sales. Zero turn moors
for your home lawn too. The Goose Jackivans joins us
now at the Club blueenil dot com hotline. Goose, want
to talk about your big event. You were telling us
that was coming up last week, and then I saw
the coverage on BBN tonight of the handing out of
(16:42):
your books to middle school students where you attended middle
school here in Lexington, Right, they had to be fun
for you.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
Yeah, that was great and I want to give a
big shout out to the Hendersons again man for you know,
for stepping in there seeing was an opportunity to help
the kids out. I mean they were Andy and Peggy
were just great to come up with that idea. Brought
(17:11):
back a lot of memories going back over there. The
school has changed some with some renovations over the years,
but they didn't do anything to the gym, so you know,
it brought back a lot of memories uh playing in there,
having tea classes in there in the gym, and uh
(17:32):
attending various assemblies in there. It was the meeting place,
so uh yeah it was. It was such a great
uh a great uh time for everybody. Uh. The kids
were just great. I had an opportunity to talk to
a bunch of them afterwards.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
And let me jump in here for a second. We're
coming up on the Heartbreak. We're going to keep talk
a little bit about this in just a moment on
the way to Fort Radio.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
Thanks Tom.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Second half of our Leach Report show. Guests come to
you on the Club Blue nil dot com hotline, and
the latest one is The Goose Jack Gibbons. The book
we were talking about with the Goose is they call
me Goose what he did with Doug Brunk And it's
a great thought for a Father's Day gift if you
don't have anything for dad yet and he doesn't have
(18:23):
the book, so keep that in mind or Mother's Day
coming up this Sunday, you could still have time to
get the book ordered and get delivered for Mom for
this Sunday, So keep both in mind if you don't
yet have your copy of the book, and goose the kids.
There's a lot of you talked about this in your
interview at the school the other day, but there's a
(18:44):
lot of great stories in there that those kids can
relate to and a lot of others.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
Yeah, because they are walking the same streets I walked
when I was their age, facing some of the same
issue I faced growing up with trying to figure out
what life is all about. You know, how did you
survive in a time when you don't have quite enough
(19:15):
to eat, or trying to deal with things that are
going on in the neighborhood. The housing project that was
there when I was young has been torn down, but
still some of the same issues that we faced were there.
So I think they will relate I don't know, maybe
(19:36):
more than a lot of other kids who could find
some nuggets in the book. So yeah, Tom, it was
a lot of fun. We had a great day, and
again the Henderson's were wonderful and I really really want
to thank them for coming up with the idea to
do this.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
For younger members of our audience in the early seventies.
Jack was at Brian's station and his good friend James
Lee was over at Henry Clay here in Lexington, and
their games were such a big deal when they played
during the regular season that they would move them to
Memorial Coliseum when it still sat twelve thousand people and
would fill it up. So you know, that was a
(20:17):
tremendous time for local high school basketball. And were you
and James not on the same middle school team?
Speaker 4 (20:26):
Well, at times we were. I and James went to
Lexington Junior together, but then I switched over to Dunbar
which was Dunbar Junior High School at that time. So
I went to Dunbar in the seventh grade and the
(20:46):
ninth grade, oh okay, and went to Lexington Junior in
the eighth grade. Of course, we had seventh eighth and
ninth grade was then junior high school. A lot of
people will remember that, of course, so uh but yeah,
we did go it at the same time. But you know,
it was interesting because in the in the seventh grade,
(21:09):
I made the basketball team, but I didn't like basketball,
so uh oh really, yeah, I loved baseball, so I
played baseball and I did something that I don't didn't
let my kids or grandkids do, and that is I
quit the team, you know. And I and I learned
(21:30):
that lesson at that time, and that's why I kind
of hold my help my kids and my grandkids to
continuing and finishing it out. Man, because in the seventh grade,
I quit the team. In the eighth grade, I quit
the team, you know, because I just loved baseball at
the time. And Uh, of course in the ninth grade,
(21:54):
the summer between my eighth and ninth grade year, I
grew from about five nine to six three, so I
stretched out a lot at that time, and that is
what made me focus on playing. That and the fact
that my coaches at that time, Robert Scoop Brown, uh
and UH and Richard Green, they came to me and said,
(22:22):
here's one thing that's not going to happen. You're not
quitting the team this year. So they made it clear
Scoop Campbell, I said, Green, but they said, you are
not quitting the team. They didn't give me an option.
So I continue to play. And of course the rest
is history. But but it was it was a great time.
(22:44):
And so I try to tell my kids, you just
never know what's going to happen. So if you go
at it, stay at it and and we'll see what happens.
From there.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
You can go to bbntnight dot com and I'm sure
see the story that they did on Jack going back
to kind of going back home in a way, Goose.
Let's talk a little bit about the upcoming basketball season
and the uk U of L game on November the eleventh,
on a Tuesday night down at the KFC Young Center.
So you like it early in the season there, do
(23:16):
you have a strong opinion?
Speaker 4 (23:18):
Well, I would rather have it a little bit later
to give both teams an opportunity to get going. Look,
I think this past season, the game we had what
Louisville was one of the better games of the year,
and I think it helped us a lot, but it
also it also propelled Louisville to what they became a
(23:42):
great year for them because you know, a lot of
people were thinking it was going to be a blowout.
I think the Cards had just lost one of their
big time players who was not able to play. But man,
that was a great game. And I think this year,
especially early, both teams are going to be what in
the top five or six teams in the country, I think,
(24:05):
I mean, I think we'll both be ranked up there
really high, So I think that's going to add to it.
It's in Freedom Hall this year, I'm sorry, It's in
the Jump Center, you know, talk about going back. It's
in the Young Center, So it's going to be a
huge challenge for Kentucky to win there. So I'm looking
(24:27):
forward to it.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
And I was saying earlier, and maybe this is part
of the thought from an ESPN standpoint anyway, where they
placed it because the Champions Classic is the next week
on a Tuesday, and that's always around one of those
college football playoff ranking shows which draws a high rating,
and so there'll be one of those on this Tuesday
night on the eleventh, So it should be at a
(24:52):
time when fans may not be ideal for where fans
want it, but from the standpoint of the most people
seeing it talking about it, maybe that would help with
that placement.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
And of course, when TV makes the call on all
of that stuff, that's the only thing that matters to them.
Where can we position a game that's going to get
us the most benefit? And you're absolutely right, everybody is
going to be watching Kentucky and Louisville at that at
that time of the year because basketball just getting started.
(25:25):
It's early, and so I understand why they did it. Look,
I'm just glad we're playing because I think it's good
for both teams. I think it's it's great to have
both teams relevant again and playing good basketball, having great players,
(25:45):
great teams. So I think it's going to be good
for the early part of the upcoming basketball season.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
Goods, Thank you much. As always, we'll talk next week.
Speaker 4 (25:59):
Thanks so much, Tom.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
That's the good Jagibbits joining us here each week on
the Leach Report on the Club blueinil dot com hotline.
And have you heard about Club Blue Kids. It's the
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It's the ultimate club for young Wildcat fans. And what
can your youngster get if he or she signs up, Well,
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(26:22):
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It's very easy to get signed up. Club Blue Kids,
where future Wildcats rep the Blue with pride Right Back
(26:42):
with Justin Rowland Pature part presented by Bob kat Enterprises
and Justin Rowland joins us now. You can read him
at Cats Illustrated dot com and his team with the
coverage of the Cats. Justin your take on the UKU
of L game move to a Tuesday on the eleventh
of November, it's.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
About a month and a half too early. It seems
like it's going to be interesting. Yeah, Kentucky's gonna have
a tough exhibition in before that, but I mean they've
had a high profile games around that time in the
Champions Classic other years.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
If I recall.
Speaker 5 (27:17):
So, just the fact that it's the Louisville game and
it's and it's going to be so different. It's definitely
one of the things that stands out about the schedule.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
You've got the CBS Sports Classic matchup with Saint John's
and the return of the Indiana Series on consecutive Saturdays
in December, so those were already locked in when I
guess they were looking for a date for this one
could have played it, I assume. Well, so there was
a as far as we know, there's an open date
(27:46):
in between Christmas and New Year's when it's been played frequently.
But I know people kind of thought it got lost
a little bit there too, right.
Speaker 5 (27:55):
Yeah, yeah, that's right. And there have been issues with
the game in Bowl season. There's been issues with the
game with just the time of day that it happens
with a lot of other sporting events. So it's always
been in that sweet spot of other things going on,
a debate over when it should it should take place.
But see in November eleventh is definitely a surprise.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
And the other the other thing is too, it's the
schedules come out for men's basketball in particular and women's
over the course of the spring and summer, and so
when piece of news like this comes, it gets a
whole lot of more debate than it might be if
it happened in the middle of a football or rescue
all season.
Speaker 4 (28:38):
That's right, What else are we talking about exactly?
Speaker 5 (28:40):
So it would be an interesting way to kick off
the season. It really will be. But you know, it's
going to be a lot more competitive this year than
in the past. And that's more a statement about Louisville
than Kentucky. So they got some some interesting pieces this year.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Let's shift gears to a little football conversation. They've added
several transfers in recent days, a couple in the O line,
a tight end, and a wide receiver. So none of
these guys, I don't think anybody believes is going to
be battling for a starting position for the opening game.
(29:15):
But have they done what they needed to do in
terms of adding.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Depth, I think so.
Speaker 5 (29:21):
I think that's what they've mostly been doing. Since they
added seth McGowan at running back, they've mostly been filling
roster spots. You still have eighty five or so spots
you have to fill, and not all those guys are
going to be starters. So developing depth on the offensive
line and hopefully putting yourself in a position where you
bring in a bunch of portal offensive linemen. Fogler and
(29:44):
then they got another guy, and then hopefully when these
these starters that you got from the portal this year
move on next year, you don't have to recruit four
starters from the portal next year. Maybe some of these
guys develop and they're all in the program and you
have a little bit more continuity, and maybe they could
even play some this.
Speaker 4 (30:04):
Year in an ideal world. So they've been.
Speaker 5 (30:07):
Recruiting backups, but guys that they think are worth developing
over the next year or two.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Yeah, that's the It seems to me. Part of the
challenge and maybe the evolution of for college coaches and
GM's two in terms of putting together rosters now is
being able to what you just said, find some guys
that are willing to come in initially at a price point, certainly,
(30:34):
and with a expectation point, if you will, of where
they understand the situation they're coming into, and maybe they
are a little more likely under that scenario to stay
with you at least for a second year and try
to win a job.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 5 (30:53):
But there are challenges recruiting whatever you're trying to do, right, Like,
there's a challenge trying to recruit impact difference difference makers
at Kentucky when those guys are coveted by Alabama and Georgia.
But then when you're recruiting, you're recruiting guys say hey,
we want you to come in and be.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Our backup left tackle or a backup right tackle.
Speaker 5 (31:11):
And then maybe you've got two years where it would
be wide open for you to come start, but there's
only say one hundred K or two hundred K in
the nil pot. Well what if Southern miss has two
hundred and fifty K and they're offering you a starting position.
So that's that's a little bit difficult. It gets a
little bit tricky and complicated. Coaches have that maybe it's
(31:32):
an illusion. Maybe the idea of building depth, long term
depth in the portal era is just an illusion, so
that maybe every year we're just going to be talking
about that that second string. There's this next wave of
guys that we got to bring in to develop, But
you could just be doing it in the portal again
the next year.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
I think you probably are until it. If it ever
gets to a point where there's some kind of agreement
contract whatever it is where or a limitation on transfers
without having to sit out. Unless one of those things happen,
then I think you probably are going to have to
live in this world.
Speaker 5 (32:08):
Because there's a even if for a kid that five
years ago would have stayed at Kentucky for five years,
no questions asked, the financial incentive is towards going into
the portal every year. Frankly, unless you're a starter and
they're taking care of you, putting your name into portal.
You know when Kentucky's had twenty thirty guys go out
(32:29):
and come in. That's just what guys tend to do,
and there's just a lot of financial sense behind it.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Tuka with Justin Rowland from Cats Illustrated dot Com on
the Rivals Network. It's at Roland Rivals on X and
you guys have a message board where fans are always
interacting with each other. Is the sense in football? Do
you think that it is? What I tend to think
(32:56):
it's fans are in a mode of they just want
you got to show me. I'm not as likely to
buy in now. Maybe that'll change a little bit as
we get closer to the season, but I think that
my read on it is that's kind of where the
fan base is for the most part.
Speaker 3 (33:12):
What about you, I.
Speaker 5 (33:14):
Totally totally believe that, and I kind.
Speaker 3 (33:16):
Of understand it and you hear it.
Speaker 5 (33:18):
I mean even at the Spring Showcase when Maggie Davis
was talking events and he was on the scoreboard talking,
I mean there was there wasn't as much hype. It
was more we're going to get it turned around. We're
focused on business, We're taking care of things internally. We
know what we got to do. So there's an acknowledgment.
And I think in the past they probably relished the
(33:39):
publicity and the excitement and the hype from the off season,
and you want to win the pr battles in the
off season and control the narrative. And I just don't
think they cared as much this year. I think they
were kind of checked out and maybe not even as
interested in the conversation being about football during the off
season when there is as negativity as there was. But
they're going to have as a chance to change that
(34:00):
with some some big games early in the schedule next year.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
Well that's the thing with sports. You get the chance
to you know, if the fans are saying show me,
you get the chance to show them.
Speaker 4 (34:09):
That's right.
Speaker 5 (34:10):
Yeah, no shortage of opportunities next year, and there I think,
you know, people are going to have a more nuanced
take if they go six and six or seven and
five and they beat a really good team or two
and it looks like they're finding an identity again on offense,
and they found a lot of moving parts on defense
and put together a solid unit. People might say I'm
(34:31):
going to be hard to win over now, but you
get into the fall and exciting things start happening and
maybe maybe you can win some people back over.
Speaker 1 (34:38):
No, I think you absolutely can, because everybody wants to,
you know, to be on the bandwagon. It's fun when
you know the team's doing well, whatever the you know
team is. If you're a UK fan and the word
of for school you're following, So yeah, I think that's
absolutely the case. Justin as always, thanks for the time,
Thanks a lot some Justin Rowland Katz Illustrated dot Com
(34:59):
joining us here on the lead report from the Clark's
Pumping Shop studio Return Refreshing Refuel.
Speaker 3 (35:03):
We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
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And we have a bunch of birthdays today former Kentucky
basketball stars Hashimu Evans from the ninety eight championship team,
Jacob Toppin, JP Blevins, Adu Theiro, Jared Paulson, all Kentucky
men's basketball players all sharing the same birthday today, so
(36:08):
happy birthday to them. NCAA academic progress reports came out.
All the UK teams exceeded the NCAA's goal scorer, so
no penalties for anybody in UK's athletics department. Seven teams
had perfect scores twenty five consecutive semesters with a cumulative
GPA of three point zero or better for UK athletics
department teams. To cal croudis one time Kentucky wide out
(36:32):
went to Wisconsin. He has founded his new college football
home at the University of Wisconsin after playing for Hawaii
last season. Octavius Oxendine has signed a deal to play
for Sayskatchewan in the Canadian Football League. And Andrew Carr
is the latest Wildcat to be added to the list
of invitees for the G League Elite Camp. I think
(36:52):
it's four Wildcats now are headed there, so wish all
of them well. Coming up, I think it's this week
in Chicago our Derby and Triple Crown coverage this spring,
always presented by Clayborne Farm doing the usual, unusually well journalism.
Back on the track yesterday at Churchill Downs for a
little light work, and the fact that he's still at
(37:13):
Churchill Downs suggests to me that he's likely to be
running in the Preakness a week from Saturday, but no
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This is the good life. We'll see you tomorrow.
Hello, everyone, Welcome in. It is the Leach Report for
a Thursday, presented as always by Bobcat Enterprises. Coming up today,
we'll check you in when Larry Vaud he couldn't be
with us on Tuesday, so we've moved him into the
leadoff slot on Thursday. The Goose, Jack Gibbings and Justin
Rowland from Cats Illustrated dot Com and we segue right
(00:24):
into the Wildcat news of the day. And one of
the things we'll be talking about is the uk UFL
men's basketball game has been set for November, the eleventh
earliest ever for the two rivals to meet up. It'll
be a Tuesday night at the KFC Young Center. It's
the second time that they've played in November since the
(00:46):
series resumed in the eighty three eighty four season, the
first time or and it'll be the first time since
the ninety three to ninety four season that they've played
in November. The only previous time was the very first
game of the revived series back in November of nineteen
eighty three. I remember getting a chance, my dad and
(01:06):
I got tickets to get to go to that one,
and it was at Rapperina. After the Dream Game the
previous March in Knoxville, and there's a famous Sports Illustrated
cover that you can probably find online somewhere. It was
Kentucky won the game sixty five to forty four, and
(01:29):
Sam Buie was one of the stars with the stat
sheet that stuffed the several boxes. We'll punch it up
here and I'll pull this up. But it was at Raperena,
Kentucky won sixty five to fifty four, and there's a
big there's a picture of say, I'm on the cover
of Sports Illustrated the next week swatting a shot away
(01:54):
in that game at Rapperina. So that will pop up
at some point, I'm sure as the one of the
two times that they played in November, and we'll find
it here. Let me scroll down here and find it there.
It is sixty five forty four. Sam had ten rebounds,
(02:14):
five blocks, five assists, three steals, seven points, kind of
like the Anthony Davis game in the Final four against
U of L. He didn't make a shot, got all
his points on free throws. But ten boards, five assists,
three steals, five blocks. Pretty impressive stat line for a
big boo. And he was on the cover of Sports
(02:35):
Illustrated the next week. This will be a week ahead
of the Champions Classic, which is in the third week
of November this year, as far as I can remember,
for the first time ever, it's always been in that
second week of November slot on a Tuesday night. So
what this would mean I assume is in consecutive weeks
(02:56):
Kentucky would be in a slot playing a game around
the College Football Playoff Rankings show that is on ESPN,
and obviously rough I was a big number in terms
of eyeballs, so it's a sort of a good spot
for exposure. I think probably for fans, they would prefer
(03:18):
a Saturday afternoon or evening in December, but Kentucky's already
booked down in Nashville for the first weekend in December
against Gonzaga on a Friday night. The Indiana game is
the next week, and there'll be a lot of excitement
for that revival the following Saturday, and that'll be the
probably I guess, the one of the two Marquee home
games of the non conference because the acc SEC Challenge
(03:42):
would be the other. But that'll be a midweek game,
and then the third week of December will be the
much anticipated matchup between Kentucky and Saint John's down in
Atlanta in the CBS Sports Classic, and then I don't
know that they have anything yet for that Saturday after Christmas.
Between Christmas and New Year's so little schedule news. It
just kind of comes out in pieces over the course
(04:05):
of the spring and summer, and it'll be still a
while before we get the full list of games, and
then even later than that to get the times. But
you know that one now Kentucky U of L. So
we'll talk about that a little bit with our guests
on the show today. Football picked up another transfer yesterday,
(04:26):
an offensive lineman Cameron Jones from James Madison. I hope
it turns out as well as all the transfers from
JMU that went to Indiana when their coach left to
go coach the Hoosers. Six six three thirty got three
years left, and as we talked yesterday, this is a
time when with John Hale, Kentucky's trying to get depth
(04:48):
for various position groups and so they've added a running back,
a tight end and a couple but I guess what
three offensive linemen in recent weeks. So they picked up
some depth in the spots where they needed to get it.
So those were the boxes that they needed to check,
and so they have done that. Not guys that we
(05:11):
don't we believe are going to be starters certainly anytime soon.
But all of the guys that they're bringing in do
have multiple years of eligibility left. You never know these
days if it's going to be at the same school.
But nevertheless, there's a chance that they could stay with
your program and maybe develop into more significant contributors than
(05:32):
any of them. These recent editions figure to be this
coming season. Links to the stories that we talk about
each day. You can find those on the bud Light
Leach Report page at Tom leachkwhy dot com. Larry Vonnald
joined us when we come right back. Our opening segment's
always presented by just Sepies of Lexington. Mother's Days coming
up this weekend, and I would imagine they're already books
(05:52):
solid at Ju Sepees. But anytime there is a special
event like that, or some kind of special occasion that
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make it a night out of jiusepes, go to open table,
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(06:14):
can enjoy the live jazz music every night of the week.
It is just a really wonderful experience at Giuseppes off
Nicholasville Road, just outside Man of War Boulevard here at Lexington.
We'll be right back with Larry Vaught. It's the Leads
Report coming to you from the Clarks Pumpin' Shop studio.
Return refresh and refuel at Clark's and get their new
loyalty get their new app to get the loyalty rewards
(06:36):
program that'll get your discounts on fuel and items in
their stores. Larry Vott joins us now from your Sports
Edge dot com and Advance Views and the Sunday morning
sports talk show here in Lexington. And I was just
talking in the opening segment Larry about the date being
set for the UKU of l game and referencing a
Sports Illustrated cover Kentucky dominated that game first one after
(07:01):
the Dream Game, and I found the cover, just posted
a link to it from SI on my x feed
at Tom Leach K White and I just noticed here
for two things I noticed on the Sports Illustrated cover.
Number one is the person who shot is being blocked
as Jeff Hall from Fairview High School, who was a
(07:22):
great player at u of L. And then how short
the shorts are.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Yeah, that's a little different back in the day. You
weren't they the guys would think about those now? And
but yeah, yeah, Kentucky Louisville before the basketball before Kentucky Louiwell,
football just doesn't seem right. But I also remember back
when the series got renewed that Joe Hall thought the
game should be played in early November, and Denny Crumb
(07:51):
wanted it in December. So I guess eventually things come
full circle. And I don't know the exact reasons due
to Purple lots of speculation for the game being played
this early, but again, it just kind of mark Pope,
I'm sure, or is that kind of guy? Okay, this scale,
we'll go play it. I think that's the best attitude
to have about it. But it's certainly going to be strange,
(08:13):
and it sure also seems like this game had been
a Saturday in December.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Well, I'm sure got a whole lot more national attention.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
But it'll get plenty of attention in the state, so
I guess that's all that matters.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Yeah, unfortunately, rarely seems to be in a spot where
it gets the maximum attention. We all think it's a
rivalry is even better than Carolina Duke, and not a
whole lot of people outside the Commonwealth that I think
seem to agree with us, but that one gets such
a high profile spot. I'd love to see a game
(08:46):
like this in the middle of the season. I mean,
you know, Mark Pope may I want that, or Coach
Kelsey at U of L. But you know when they
used to play for a few years, that Big twelve
SEC Challenge game the weekend before the Super Bowl. I
would love to see college basketball. And this is just
you know, kind of you know, summer fan topic show
(09:07):
kind of thing, but have those kind of matchups over
a series of Saturdays. You know, it's SEC, you know,
ACC one weekend, and then the next weekend it's you know,
Big ten and Big East, and it's you know, Big
twelve and somebody else, and you kind of I think
as football seasons has ended or is about to end,
(09:30):
at that point kind of helps you ramp the interest
up for the NCAA.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Tournament absolutely an hour.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
There's so many teams from different conferences that make the
NCAA tournaments.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Not where you've got the pressure.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Everybody's got to stay so focused on on the conference
season because one game can change everything for them. And no,
it's not quite that way anymore. I would love to
see it too. I still think back to what the
mid eighties when Kentucky played Houston on Super Bowl Sunday. Still, yeah,
best crowds ever seen for a Kentucky basketball game. I
(10:03):
know we're going back forty years, which us old guys
do that a lot, but still, those kind of things
back in the old days were really good and it's
just kind of a shame you can't see that again.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
And I think that's probably.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Why the Kentucky or the North Carolina Duke series has
looked at so much more, such a better rivalry nationally,
because it is a conference situation and they played twice,
but it's always in mid to late season when more
eyes are just on college basketball.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Yeah, my grumpy old man take on the something that
is referred to as like a musty reference or something.
Look it up. It's never been easier. We had to
use encycled Encyclopedia Britannica. You have Google. It's really easy
to look it up if you don't know what we're
talking about.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
So yeah, and I've got a set of encyclopedias that
they'd like to have it.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
I just can't make myself throw them away. The know
what to do with them.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
That's great. Somebody throughout the idea somewhere I read something yesterday.
Would this ever work? If you could pull it off
to have the uk U of L weekend basketball game
on a Friday night football game on a Saturday afternoon
or evening.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Well, I think time we've learned to never say never anymore,
so you probably could.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
You could throw a volleyball game in on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
There you go, that's true, you could do that. It's
a you know, we'll get the full schedule here, but
it's certainly going to be you know, challenging whenever it
comes out, because they've added you know, Indiana, which will
be one of the marquee games in RUP along with
whoever they get in the ACC Challenge. But that'll be
a week night, so the Indiana game will be a Saturday,
(11:46):
hopefully a Saturday afternoon. I think I think fans for
whatever reason. It loves Saturday afternoon games in December.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Absolutely, and how account to be one of those throwback
games or we used to with the way I grew
up watching and enjoying. And the Big Four Classic up
in Indianapolis is always one of my favorite events to
go to. And I'm glad to see the series getting
started again. I was at Bloomington when it ended, and
I hope this will kind of get things going back
(12:13):
with that because I think a lot a lot of
older fans really like that Kentucky Indiana series.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Give me a quick take on the additions for football
with the transfer portal. They were not looking for starters,
They just needed to find depth, but they seemingly checked
the boxes for finding the depth where they needed it most, right.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
I thought, well, I guess we kind of get us
got of weight and hope and see. I mean, I
don't think they're guys that were going to see these
last four or five on the field a lot next year,
or well, I was going to say, if we do,
we probably need to worry. I think unless they're going
to I'll be major surprises to us. But they have
certainly loaded up. They've got what I think now a
total of twenty offensive linemen and tight ends on the team.
(12:59):
That's why almost the fourth of your scholarship personnel. So
for a and then Mark Pope talk Mark Sooop's talking
about want to get back to a more physical running
style of football.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
That sure seems like the way that he's gone with that.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
But again, when you're trying to fill out a roster,
I would think it's hard to find.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Pieces that feel like what you want.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
And they seem to have been able to do that,
kind of like I think Mark Pope did when he
brought in Rhys Potter to fill out I think fill
out his roster for next year.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
I sometimes, you know, these things are an open book
test if you want to, you know, ask how Kentucky's
going to play. The style of play this season I
think is pretty evident.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Yeah yeah, Now I've got a lot of receivers on
the roster too. But I think they've loaded up an
offensive line, and I include the tight ends and that
because we all know they're not going to throw it
thirty times to any tight end. So I think they've
loaded up where they could be that physical running style
that Mark wants. I think He's got some running backs
that could fit in to that. So hopefully that's what
(14:02):
we're going to see. That if you win, every offense
is good.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
That's true. And I always thought one of the most
fun offenses was and I think it was Eddie's Eddie
Grant's first year is OC when Steven Johnson was the quarterback,
and I said, I always said, it reminded me of
the the old Oakland Raiders from the sixties and seventies.
We had the Mad Bomber Daryl Lamonica quarterback, and you
(14:27):
had huge physical offensive line, power running game, and then
when you got locked in on trying to stop that,
they would throw it over the top. There are you
still there?
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry about that, Tom.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
But yeah, that that was a you know, they didn't
have what they needed yet defensively, but they they were
a lot of fun to watch. They put up some
big numbers that year.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Yeah, yeah, they did. That would be that would be
great to see that again. And it's it's just kind
of hard for me any to get a real feel
for what I think Kentucky's football team is going to be. Like,
I mean, I think the coaches are a lot more
cautious of what they're saying this year after some of
their optimism didn't exactly pan out last year. I think
I believed what they were telling us last year. It
(15:14):
just didn't work out for whatever reason. So I think
they're being really cautious in what they tell us. They've
got a lot of new pieces that we're going to
have to see how they fit together. But after four
and eight, I feel like it can only go up,
or hopefully it can only go up.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
You know, these days people always say, you know, how
do you fill a show in the summer? If you
just took every show but between now and the say
the start of football season, and talked about a new
player that would probably do it for football and basketball
and maybe had women's basketball, that would get you through
the summer.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
Yeah, it's true.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
I mean, just like talk about Kentucky's got fifteen offensive
linemen on the team for next year, and only four
of them are on the team this year. That's two
weeks worth the show is just to talk about each
of the new offensive line.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
There they go, Larry, thank you much, all right, tom
As Larry Vaught from your sports Edge dot com and
The Study Warning sports talk show we'll be right back
with the Ghost Jack Givings. It's the lead Report radio
network let Traverse presented by Bob kNN Enterprises for locations
around the States. So when you need some heavy equipment
for a job, or you know someone who do tractors, loaders, forklifts,
(16:21):
et cetera, that's where you need to go. They'll take
great care of you after the sales. Zero turn moors
for your home lawn too. The Goose Jackivans joins us
now at the Club blueenil dot com hotline. Goose, want
to talk about your big event. You were telling us
that was coming up last week, and then I saw
the coverage on BBN tonight of the handing out of
(16:42):
your books to middle school students where you attended middle
school here in Lexington, Right, they had to be fun
for you.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
Yeah, that was great and I want to give a
big shout out to the Hendersons again man for you know,
for stepping in there seeing was an opportunity to help
the kids out. I mean they were Andy and Peggy
were just great to come up with that idea. Brought
(17:11):
back a lot of memories going back over there. The
school has changed some with some renovations over the years,
but they didn't do anything to the gym, so you know,
it brought back a lot of memories uh playing in there,
having tea classes in there in the gym, and uh
(17:32):
attending various assemblies in there. It was the meeting place,
so uh yeah it was. It was such a great
uh a great uh time for everybody. Uh. The kids
were just great. I had an opportunity to talk to
a bunch of them afterwards.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
And let me jump in here for a second. We're
coming up on the Heartbreak. We're going to keep talk
a little bit about this in just a moment on
the way to Fort Radio.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
Thanks Tom.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Second half of our Leach Report show. Guests come to
you on the Club Blue nil dot com hotline, and
the latest one is The Goose Jack Gibbons. The book
we were talking about with the Goose is they call
me Goose what he did with Doug Brunk And it's
a great thought for a Father's Day gift if you
don't have anything for dad yet and he doesn't have
(18:23):
the book, so keep that in mind or Mother's Day
coming up this Sunday, you could still have time to
get the book ordered and get delivered for Mom for
this Sunday, So keep both in mind if you don't
yet have your copy of the book, and goose the kids.
There's a lot of you talked about this in your
interview at the school the other day, but there's a
(18:44):
lot of great stories in there that those kids can
relate to and a lot of others.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
Yeah, because they are walking the same streets I walked
when I was their age, facing some of the same
issue I faced growing up with trying to figure out
what life is all about. You know, how did you
survive in a time when you don't have quite enough
(19:15):
to eat, or trying to deal with things that are
going on in the neighborhood. The housing project that was
there when I was young has been torn down, but
still some of the same issues that we faced were there.
So I think they will relate I don't know, maybe
(19:36):
more than a lot of other kids who could find
some nuggets in the book. So yeah, Tom, it was
a lot of fun. We had a great day, and
again the Henderson's were wonderful and I really really want
to thank them for coming up with the idea to
do this.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
For younger members of our audience in the early seventies.
Jack was at Brian's station and his good friend James
Lee was over at Henry Clay here in Lexington, and
their games were such a big deal when they played
during the regular season that they would move them to
Memorial Coliseum when it still sat twelve thousand people and
would fill it up. So you know, that was a
(20:17):
tremendous time for local high school basketball. And were you
and James not on the same middle school team?
Speaker 4 (20:26):
Well, at times we were. I and James went to
Lexington Junior together, but then I switched over to Dunbar
which was Dunbar Junior High School at that time. So
I went to Dunbar in the seventh grade and the
(20:46):
ninth grade, oh okay, and went to Lexington Junior in
the eighth grade. Of course, we had seventh eighth and
ninth grade was then junior high school. A lot of
people will remember that, of course, so uh but yeah,
we did go it at the same time. But you know,
it was interesting because in the in the seventh grade,
(21:09):
I made the basketball team, but I didn't like basketball,
so uh oh really, yeah, I loved baseball, so I
played baseball and I did something that I don't didn't
let my kids or grandkids do, and that is I
quit the team, you know. And I and I learned
(21:30):
that lesson at that time, and that's why I kind
of hold my help my kids and my grandkids to
continuing and finishing it out. Man, because in the seventh grade,
I quit the team. In the eighth grade, I quit
the team, you know, because I just loved baseball at
the time. And Uh, of course in the ninth grade,
(21:54):
the summer between my eighth and ninth grade year, I
grew from about five nine to six three, so I
stretched out a lot at that time, and that is
what made me focus on playing. That and the fact
that my coaches at that time, Robert Scoop Brown, uh
and UH and Richard Green, they came to me and said,
(22:22):
here's one thing that's not going to happen. You're not
quitting the team this year. So they made it clear
Scoop Campbell, I said, Green, but they said, you are
not quitting the team. They didn't give me an option.
So I continue to play. And of course the rest
is history. But but it was it was a great time.
(22:44):
And so I try to tell my kids, you just
never know what's going to happen. So if you go
at it, stay at it and and we'll see what happens.
From there.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
You can go to bbntnight dot com and I'm sure
see the story that they did on Jack going back
to kind of going back home in a way, Goose.
Let's talk a little bit about the upcoming basketball season
and the uk U of L game on November the eleventh,
on a Tuesday night down at the KFC Young Center.
So you like it early in the season there, do
(23:16):
you have a strong opinion?
Speaker 4 (23:18):
Well, I would rather have it a little bit later
to give both teams an opportunity to get going. Look,
I think this past season, the game we had what
Louisville was one of the better games of the year,
and I think it helped us a lot, but it
also it also propelled Louisville to what they became a
(23:42):
great year for them because you know, a lot of
people were thinking it was going to be a blowout.
I think the Cards had just lost one of their
big time players who was not able to play. But man,
that was a great game. And I think this year,
especially early, both teams are going to be what in
the top five or six teams in the country, I think,
(24:05):
I mean, I think we'll both be ranked up there
really high, So I think that's going to add to it.
It's in Freedom Hall this year, I'm sorry, It's in
the Jump Center, you know, talk about going back. It's
in the Young Center, So it's going to be a
huge challenge for Kentucky to win there. So I'm looking
(24:27):
forward to it.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
And I was saying earlier, and maybe this is part
of the thought from an ESPN standpoint anyway, where they
placed it because the Champions Classic is the next week
on a Tuesday, and that's always around one of those
college football playoff ranking shows which draws a high rating,
and so there'll be one of those on this Tuesday
night on the eleventh, So it should be at a
(24:52):
time when fans may not be ideal for where fans
want it, but from the standpoint of the most people
seeing it talking about it, maybe that would help with
that placement.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
And of course, when TV makes the call on all
of that stuff, that's the only thing that matters to them.
Where can we position a game that's going to get
us the most benefit? And you're absolutely right, everybody is
going to be watching Kentucky and Louisville at that at
that time of the year because basketball just getting started.
(25:25):
It's early, and so I understand why they did it. Look,
I'm just glad we're playing because I think it's good
for both teams. I think it's it's great to have
both teams relevant again and playing good basketball, having great players,
(25:45):
great teams. So I think it's going to be good
for the early part of the upcoming basketball season.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
Goods, Thank you much. As always, we'll talk next week.
Speaker 4 (25:59):
Thanks so much, Tom.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
That's the good Jagibbits joining us here each week on
the Leach Report on the Club blueinil dot com hotline.
And have you heard about Club Blue Kids. It's the
new initiative from the official NIL fundraising partner for UK Athletics.
It's the ultimate club for young Wildcat fans. And what
can your youngster get if he or she signs up, Well,
you'd get meet and greets, you'd get exclusive events, access
(26:22):
to those, you get athlete experiences, a membership card, a lanyard,
a T shirt, and they have some other big events
coming soon. So get your young Cat fan signed up
now at Club blueinil dot com click on the Kids tab.
It's very easy to get signed up. Club Blue Kids,
where future Wildcats rep the Blue with pride Right Back
(26:42):
with Justin Rowland Pature part presented by Bob kat Enterprises
and Justin Rowland joins us now. You can read him
at Cats Illustrated dot com and his team with the
coverage of the Cats. Justin your take on the UKU
of L game move to a Tuesday on the eleventh
of November, it's.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
About a month and a half too early. It seems
like it's going to be interesting. Yeah, Kentucky's gonna have
a tough exhibition in before that, but I mean they've
had a high profile games around that time in the
Champions Classic other years.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
If I recall.
Speaker 5 (27:17):
So, just the fact that it's the Louisville game and
it's and it's going to be so different. It's definitely
one of the things that stands out about the schedule.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
You've got the CBS Sports Classic matchup with Saint John's
and the return of the Indiana Series on consecutive Saturdays
in December, so those were already locked in when I
guess they were looking for a date for this one
could have played it, I assume. Well, so there was
a as far as we know, there's an open date
(27:46):
in between Christmas and New Year's when it's been played frequently.
But I know people kind of thought it got lost
a little bit there too, right.
Speaker 5 (27:55):
Yeah, yeah, that's right. And there have been issues with
the game in Bowl season. There's been issues with the
game with just the time of day that it happens
with a lot of other sporting events. So it's always
been in that sweet spot of other things going on,
a debate over when it should it should take place.
But see in November eleventh is definitely a surprise.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
And the other the other thing is too, it's the
schedules come out for men's basketball in particular and women's
over the course of the spring and summer, and so
when piece of news like this comes, it gets a
whole lot of more debate than it might be if
it happened in the middle of a football or rescue
all season.
Speaker 4 (28:38):
That's right, What else are we talking about exactly?
Speaker 5 (28:40):
So it would be an interesting way to kick off
the season. It really will be. But you know, it's
going to be a lot more competitive this year than
in the past. And that's more a statement about Louisville
than Kentucky. So they got some some interesting pieces this year.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Let's shift gears to a little football conversation. They've added
several transfers in recent days, a couple in the O line,
a tight end, and a wide receiver. So none of
these guys, I don't think anybody believes is going to
be battling for a starting position for the opening game.
(29:15):
But have they done what they needed to do in
terms of adding.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Depth, I think so.
Speaker 5 (29:21):
I think that's what they've mostly been doing. Since they
added seth McGowan at running back, they've mostly been filling
roster spots. You still have eighty five or so spots
you have to fill, and not all those guys are
going to be starters. So developing depth on the offensive
line and hopefully putting yourself in a position where you
bring in a bunch of portal offensive linemen. Fogler and
(29:44):
then they got another guy, and then hopefully when these
these starters that you got from the portal this year
move on next year, you don't have to recruit four
starters from the portal next year. Maybe some of these
guys develop and they're all in the program and you
have a little bit more continuity, and maybe they could
even play some this.
Speaker 4 (30:04):
Year in an ideal world. So they've been.
Speaker 5 (30:07):
Recruiting backups, but guys that they think are worth developing
over the next year or two.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Yeah, that's the It seems to me. Part of the
challenge and maybe the evolution of for college coaches and
GM's two in terms of putting together rosters now is
being able to what you just said, find some guys
that are willing to come in initially at a price point, certainly,
(30:34):
and with a expectation point, if you will, of where
they understand the situation they're coming into, and maybe they
are a little more likely under that scenario to stay
with you at least for a second year and try
to win a job.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 5 (30:53):
But there are challenges recruiting whatever you're trying to do, right, Like,
there's a challenge trying to recruit impact difference difference makers
at Kentucky when those guys are coveted by Alabama and Georgia.
But then when you're recruiting, you're recruiting guys say hey,
we want you to come in and be.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Our backup left tackle or a backup right tackle.
Speaker 5 (31:11):
And then maybe you've got two years where it would
be wide open for you to come start, but there's
only say one hundred K or two hundred K in
the nil pot. Well what if Southern miss has two
hundred and fifty K and they're offering you a starting position.
So that's that's a little bit difficult. It gets a
little bit tricky and complicated. Coaches have that maybe it's
(31:32):
an illusion. Maybe the idea of building depth, long term
depth in the portal era is just an illusion, so
that maybe every year we're just going to be talking
about that that second string. There's this next wave of
guys that we got to bring in to develop, But
you could just be doing it in the portal again
the next year.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
I think you probably are until it. If it ever
gets to a point where there's some kind of agreement
contract whatever it is where or a limitation on transfers
without having to sit out. Unless one of those things happen,
then I think you probably are going to have to
live in this world.
Speaker 5 (32:08):
Because there's a even if for a kid that five
years ago would have stayed at Kentucky for five years,
no questions asked, the financial incentive is towards going into
the portal every year. Frankly, unless you're a starter and
they're taking care of you, putting your name into portal.
You know when Kentucky's had twenty thirty guys go out
(32:29):
and come in. That's just what guys tend to do,
and there's just a lot of financial sense behind it.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Tuka with Justin Rowland from Cats Illustrated dot Com on
the Rivals Network. It's at Roland Rivals on X and
you guys have a message board where fans are always
interacting with each other. Is the sense in football? Do
you think that it is? What I tend to think
(32:56):
it's fans are in a mode of they just want
you got to show me. I'm not as likely to
buy in now. Maybe that'll change a little bit as
we get closer to the season, but I think that
my read on it is that's kind of where the
fan base is for the most part.
Speaker 3 (33:12):
What about you, I.
Speaker 5 (33:14):
Totally totally believe that, and I kind.
Speaker 3 (33:16):
Of understand it and you hear it.
Speaker 5 (33:18):
I mean even at the Spring Showcase when Maggie Davis
was talking events and he was on the scoreboard talking,
I mean there was there wasn't as much hype. It
was more we're going to get it turned around. We're
focused on business, We're taking care of things internally. We
know what we got to do. So there's an acknowledgment.
And I think in the past they probably relished the
(33:39):
publicity and the excitement and the hype from the off season,
and you want to win the pr battles in the
off season and control the narrative. And I just don't
think they cared as much this year. I think they
were kind of checked out and maybe not even as
interested in the conversation being about football during the off
season when there is as negativity as there was. But
they're going to have as a chance to change that
(34:00):
with some some big games early in the schedule next year.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
Well that's the thing with sports. You get the chance
to you know, if the fans are saying show me,
you get the chance to show them.
Speaker 4 (34:09):
That's right.
Speaker 5 (34:10):
Yeah, no shortage of opportunities next year, and there I think,
you know, people are going to have a more nuanced
take if they go six and six or seven and
five and they beat a really good team or two
and it looks like they're finding an identity again on offense,
and they found a lot of moving parts on defense
and put together a solid unit. People might say I'm
(34:31):
going to be hard to win over now, but you
get into the fall and exciting things start happening and
maybe maybe you can win some people back over.
Speaker 1 (34:38):
No, I think you absolutely can, because everybody wants to,
you know, to be on the bandwagon. It's fun when
you know the team's doing well, whatever the you know
team is. If you're a UK fan and the word
of for school you're following, So yeah, I think that's
absolutely the case. Justin as always, thanks for the time,
Thanks a lot some Justin Rowland Katz Illustrated dot Com
(34:59):
joining us here on the lead report from the Clark's
Pumping Shop studio Return Refreshing Refuel.
Speaker 3 (35:03):
We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
Shufflebean Coffee's based right here in the Blowgrass has been
from the start back in twenty twelve. We can go
to shufflebeant us and see their commitment to excellence. How
it starts with the very best coffee beans. It's part
of why they are the official coffee of Rapparina, the
KFCM Center and other locations around the state. So pick
(35:26):
up some Shufflebing Coffee while you're on the site. Order
it through Amazon or the next time you're at a
central Kentucky Myers storage, grab a bag of Shufflebing coffee
if you haven't already given a try. If you have,
then spread the word about a great Kentucky company that's
shufflebeing coffee. This is now a wow Cat. History is
percent about Kentucky roadshow sports cards and memorabilia. They're on
(35:47):
Romney Road here in Lexington and at roadshowcards dot Com.
And we have a bunch of birthdays today former Kentucky
basketball stars Hashimu Evans from the ninety eight championship team,
Jacob Toppin, JP Blevins, Adu Theiro, Jared Paulson, all Kentucky
men's basketball players all sharing the same birthday today, so
(36:08):
happy birthday to them. NCAA academic progress reports came out.
All the UK teams exceeded the NCAA's goal scorer, so
no penalties for anybody in UK's athletics department. Seven teams
had perfect scores twenty five consecutive semesters with a cumulative
GPA of three point zero or better for UK athletics
department teams. To cal croudis one time Kentucky wide out
(36:32):
went to Wisconsin. He has founded his new college football
home at the University of Wisconsin after playing for Hawaii
last season. Octavius Oxendine has signed a deal to play
for Sayskatchewan in the Canadian Football League. And Andrew Carr
is the latest Wildcat to be added to the list
of invitees for the G League Elite Camp. I think
(36:52):
it's four Wildcats now are headed there, so wish all
of them well. Coming up, I think it's this week
in Chicago our Derby and Triple Crown coverage this spring,
always presented by Clayborne Farm doing the usual, unusually well journalism.
Back on the track yesterday at Churchill Downs for a
little light work, and the fact that he's still at
(37:13):
Churchill Downs suggests to me that he's likely to be
running in the Preakness a week from Saturday, but no
confirmation of that coming yet. Shuffle beer to Shuffleming coffee.
But I want to talk about corn bread. Hemp another
great Kentucky company and it is based right here. The
Bluegrass has been from the start couple of Kentucky and
started the company and they have the products that can
(37:36):
help you shake off the winter gloom. Now that we're
into springtime, you could get their bombs and lotions to
help you treat achy joints. If you're look at a
relax on a warm spring weekend or take the edge
off a tough day. Their infused gummies and a variety
of flavors can do the trick. Sleep gummies you've heard
me talk about those, Those are fantastic if you have
trouble falling asleep at night. All of their products made
(37:56):
here in Kentucky with Kentucky grown hemp. The highest quality
relief you can at cornbreadthimp dot com and if you
place your first order you'll get twenty percent off if
you use the code tom at checkout at Cornbreadthemp dot com.
This is the good life. We'll see you tomorrow.
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