Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good day, everybody. Welcome into the Leech Report presented by
Bob Kat Enterprises and coming up on this Wednesday.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
We will lead off with Chris Fisher from the Cat's Pause.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
But later Mike de Corsi from the Sporting News joining us,
and we will I'm sure be talking a good bit
about Otega, oh way, which leads us into the Wildcat
News of the Day presented by je Seppies of Lexington.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Decision day for Otega.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
He has until well, we say midnight, actually I guess
eleven fifty nine pm Eastern time.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
To make his decision.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Darryl Bird from the Cat's Pause always goes down to
the SEC meetings in destin what you're going on this
week and get some good content out of that session
on an annual basis. He got a chance to talk
to Mark Pope yesterday. Pope said, quote, trying to give
Otega as much space as possible. He said, quote, there
(00:57):
is a space for him in that league at some point,
so it's going to be all about where his heart is.
It'll work out the way it's supposed to work out.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Now. Pope said that if Otaga.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Comes back to Kentucky and his heart isn't in it,
then it's probably not great situation for anybody.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
So he needs to follow his heart.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
And that kind of segues into something Matt Norlander, CBS
said on a podcast yesterday he still believes o Way
ultimately will decide to return to Kentucky, but he said
in the last four or five days, there's been really
really good feedback unquote for Otaga. So if you were wondering,
(01:42):
you know why he's waiting until the last minute to
make the decision, there's maybe your answer that he's still
going through these workouts and maybe you know he's getting
information in earlier workouts that he's putting into practice in
later workouts, and obviously there's a lot to like about
his game. It seems to make the most sense, I
(02:08):
would think to return and become a little better shooter
and show some of those playmaking skills that Mark Pope
has talked about frequently, become a little better defender and
secure spot in the first round next season. But we'll see,
we're gonna have an answer one way or the other
(02:29):
by the time we talk tomorrow. Nick Benjion talked to
the media yesterday about the upcoming NCAA tournament for his
Kentucky baseball team, talked about incorporating thirty new players from
last season. After Kentucky made its first run to Omaha
for the College World Series, he said quote, I wish
I could tell you I knew this would turn out,
(02:52):
but I didn't. But he's very proud of how his
guys did come together to form the kind of team
that was able to get to an NCAA tournament for
the third year in a row for the first time
in school history. And coach Benjione said, as he's looked
back on the season, had some extra time here waiting
for the NCUBLEA tournament to start, He said, by his count,
(03:15):
Kentucky would be nine plays away from repeating his SEC
champions I don't think he went through the whole list
of nine plays, but if you go back and think
about it, you know, you look at all the teams
that are hosting, all the SEC schools that are hosting,
Kentucky played most of them and only got swept by Vanderbilt.
(03:38):
As far as teams that are hosting, I don't think
Missisippi State's hosting, so Vanderbilt. How about Vanderbilt and overall
number one seed Kentucky should well have taken two of three.
I mean had the lead down to the last strike
for the last out in the first two games of
that series. So that's just in that series alone, how
close Kentucky was. So there's the old Bill Parcells line.
(04:02):
You are what your record says you are. So there's
that line of thinking. There's also the line of thinking
that Kentucky was very close and if they could make
a few of those key plays in the postseason, maybe
they could make a run to Omaha for the second
year in a row. So it all starts on Friday
down in Clemson. Will Kentucky will play West Virginia at
newon Eastern Time. Offensive line coach Eric Wolford as a
(04:26):
new one year extension on his contract for Kentucky Football
takes him through the twenty six season. He was set
to expire at the end of this season. He gets
a one hundred thousand dollars pay bump to nine hundred
thousand dollars a year nine twenty five. I believe I
saw in the second season of the new deal. Wolford
came back for his second stint at Kentucky mainly out
(04:48):
of a desire from Mark stoops to improve their offensive
line recruiting, and this year will really tell the tale
of that happening, as Wolford had the the whole year
to basically rebuild an offensive line, and I think there's
a lot of hope that is going to be a
(05:09):
much improved unit. This season really has to be for
Kentucky to have a chance to pull off any surprises,
and from what the reports were out of spring, there's
a lot of optimism that will be the case this fall.
Links to the stories that we talk about each day.
You can find those on the bud Light Leach Report
page at Tom leachky dot com. Got a note from
(05:33):
a company in the London area, state Line Company, that
is launching a fundraiser to help bring some relief to
the tornado victims in Laurel County, and they it's a
state line company getting donations from businesses, customers, followers across
the state and they're going to expand the effort with
(05:56):
a chance to purchase a T shirt and exchange the
the donations will go or the proceeds will go to
the victims of the tornado. The London Strong shirt is
a way to receive something in return for your donation,
but any contribution will help these people, even just two
helping hands, according to Jonathan McClure, who's the co founder
(06:17):
of state Line Co. And they've received over ten thousand
dollars in donations as when this release came into me
last week. So I appreciate everybody who's done whatever they
can with manpower or financial support to help out down
in the area there in Laurel County and also over
in Pulaski County which got hit. But those look for
(06:38):
those London Strong t shirts from state Line Co. And
it's a way you can show your support for the
folks down there and as well as help them out financially.
Links to the stories that we talk about bud lightly
Triport page at Tom Leachky dot com. We'll be right
back talk with Chris Fisher. The Cat's Pause opening segment
of wild Cat News, presented by just Sepies of Lexington
(07:00):
and Giuseppes, is located off Nicholasville Road, just out pass
men Or Boulevard here in Lexington. Been there for about
thirty years. Fantastic food. The steaks are handcut fresh seafood,
chipped in homemade pasta, A lot of locally sourced ingredients
on the menu as well. Check out the menu at
jusepes Lexington dot com and make a reservation at open Table.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Lettripirts presented each today by Bobcat Enterprises for locations around Kentucky.
So when you need to buy or rent some heavy
equipment excavators, forklifts, skid steerloaders, et cetera, or need a
new zero turn MOVERI for your home, the folks at
Bobcat Enterprises will take good care of you. Google them
(07:42):
to find the location nearest you. Chris Fisher joins us
it covers the Cats for Catspaws dot com and he
joins us on the Club Blueenisle dot com hotline. You
think otega Oway comes back to Kentucky next season.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Just based on the projections, and I guess you know
everyone around the program's expectations. I would expect.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
Him to be back at Kentucky.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
But my colleague Girl Bird.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Had an exclusive one on one with Mark Pope at
the SEC Spring meetings in Florida and said, for otega Oway,
it's just it's a matter of the heart, and if
his heart is in the NBA, then that's what he
should choose. And if his heart's at Kentucky, that's what
he should choose, because it's not gonna work out either way,
right if his if his heart is at Kentucky, it's
not gonna work out for him the NBA. And if
(08:34):
he's you know, if you flip it around, if he
comes back to Kentucky but his heart's in the NBA,
then it's not gonna work out in that situation either
either path that he chooses.
Speaker 4 (08:45):
He's got to be.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
All in on it, and it's gonna come down to
what his heart is telling him.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Yeah, And it's a it's a tough situation because he
seems to be one of those guys that you could
see if he chose the NBA, you could see him,
you know, finding his spot eventually. I don't think he immediately,
you know, is in anybody starting lineup. But he has
a lot of things he could bring to the table.
He's got, you know, an NBA body certainly, but with
(09:16):
the opportunity that Nil provides, that's the that I mean,
this would have been an easy decision for him before
Nil to go to the NBA. But now he'll I
would assume make more money at Kentucky next season than
he would in the NBA, would you agree.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Yeah, And I would think a lot more, perhaps even
you know, double what he would make on you know,
a potential two way contract kind of bounce him forth
between the G League and and the NBA next season.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
I would think a guy like Otaka.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
Oh, it would be the poster boy for n I
L and the opportunities that that it provides. But on
the flip side of that, I could see, you know,
being that close to your dream and having the ability
to kind of just reach out and grab it as
opposed to delaying it, you know, one more year. That
(10:10):
would be a really really hard decision to make, regardless.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
Of what the money is saying.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
But you know, you look at other guys like Mackenzie
and Bacco going back to Texas A and m he
was projected as a late second round pick.
Speaker 4 (10:25):
Alex Condon, who I think.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
In some mock drafts was you know, late first kind
of early second going back to Florida, and so, you know,
at least based on the mock projections, I'm not sure
I saw any of the major mocks that had otega
Oway included. You know, I think NBA decision makers want
to see him go back to Kentucky and kind of
(10:49):
extrapolate what he's done throughout the NBA draft process and
see that over the course of another season in Kentucky.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
And that's where what Bark Pope talked about yesterday and
the story with Darryl Burr that you referenced about his heart,
you know, following his heart because if he comes back,
you know, he has to be then all in on
whatever those areas are improvement are for him to be
able to maximize the decision to come back.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
Yeah, and you know, Mark Clovis talked so much about
that that second year jump that guys make in his
system because a lot so much of the first year
is just spent on getting the decision making down, and
then once you come back for that second season, you've
got the decision making part down. Now all of a sudden,
you can play fast and play free.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
And you know.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
That could equal a huge jump for otega Oway in
year two at Kentucky to where you know, we're not
talking about him as a fringe second round pick. Maybe
he you know, plays his way into the first round
because as you said, he has several NBA attributes aready.
It's about kind of refining and rounding out the rest
(12:04):
of his ball game.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Yeah, it's comes back I think to something I know
Mike Praddy used to talk about a lot. With big guys,
you get more of a chance to fail, I think
at the NBA level, whereas if you're guard, you really
have to make sure that your game is NBA ready
when you go, because if it takes two or three
(12:29):
years to get NBA ready, they may move on to
somebody younger by the time, you know, the end of
your first contract rolls around.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Yeah, And I think that's something that John Caliperry taught
used to talk about a lot as well, where if
you're one of those fringe guys, if you're a G
league guy, you have a much smaller window to prove
what you can do at the highest level. And as
you said, if you don't do that, teams are simply
going to move on without you and with you know,
(13:02):
kind of being a fringe roster guy, you're not gonna
see a lot of the same reps you know that
these more established roster guys are, and so you just
your your opportunities are so limited in that in that capacity,
when you're considered a fringe guy, whether it be at
the end of the NBA draft or on the end
(13:22):
of the NBA roster.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
We're talking with Chris Fisher from Katzpause dot com and
we will continue to visit here. In just a moment,
it's coming to you from the Clark's Pumping Shop studio.
They have a new loyalty rewards program you should sign
up for get some discounts on gas and items in
their stores. Return, refreshing, Refuel at Clark's twenty five past
the top of the hour. Here at the Leach Report
(13:46):
Radio Network presented by Bobcat Enterprises, we're chatting with Chris
Fisher from Katzpause dot Com. It's at Chris Fisher twenty
four to seven on X. You have a story up
at the Cat's Pause site about a UK tennis player
off to a really good start at the French Open.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Right Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Gabriel Diallo, who starred at Kentucky several years ago, was
scored an upset in his first round match at the
French Open, his first major victory at the French Open,
and a guy that led Kentucky to an NCAA runner
up finish in twenty twenty two, and I mean he's
(14:24):
a young.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
Guy that's really really made a name for himself.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
He's won several Grand Slam matches over the last couple
of years and seems like he just continues to get
better and better every time he steps on the court.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Dennis Hemry did a marvelous job of building up the
tennis programs at UK and didn't always get carried on
when somebody is the kind of the architect of something
like that, but it has for Kentucky.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Kentucky's tennis program.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Yeah, they bowed out in the second round this year
to the number one overall seed, wake Forest, but prior
to that had reached the Elite eight in three consecutive seasons.
So yeah, they have a really really solid solid foundation
with that program running.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
So back to Otega Oway and his decision, which will
come today. Let's well, just for the purposes of the
discussion here out of the season, spitball some topics like
what a benef he does stay in the draft.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Would Kentucky go try to find another player?
Speaker 3 (15:32):
I would think so. I think losing a player of
Otega always caliber, and I think you know, if you're Kentucky,
he's the biggest known commodity that you have. I mean,
he's a guy that led you in scoring. I led
a really good Kentucky team in scoring last season. Was
the most consistent player, I think, by far on the roster.
(15:53):
I think he scored in double figures in thirty three
of thirty six games. I don't think this is a
situation where you can just move everybody.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
Up a peg and and everything is fine.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
I think you have to go out and get a
replacement for him. And I'm sure that's something that you know.
Mark Pope is a planner.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
He's a detailed guy.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
I think I'm sure he's had options A, B and
C kind of lined up for for a while now.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
R J.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Lewis, I think that the you know, big East player
of the year, I think is probably a guy that
they would that they would look at if he pulls
out of the draft as well. But I do think
if he stays in the draft, you got to go
sign to replace me.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Anybody's decision to stay in or out come out of
the draft at this point been particularly surprising to you.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
I talked about McKenzie Imbaco. I think you know he
had as good of a.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
Combine I think as anybody and had kind of moved
his way up into some of those mock drafts. Him
coming back to Texas, A and M I think was
a little bit surprising Alex Condon as well. I mean,
you know, again, a guy that's late first early second
deciding to come back to Florida, and Florida is going to.
Speaker 4 (17:03):
Be loaded for bear once again.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
And Carter Knox is another guy coming back to Arkansas.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
I think he was kind of an early, early to
mid second round pick, and you know, was one of
those guys that was.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Playing his best basketball at the end of the season.
I thought he might try to parlay that into the
NBA draft. But he'll come back to Arkansas, and Arkansas
looks like they'll be really good again next season.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
And all those guys you mentioned Kentucky will see this
season since they're.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Coming back to SEC schools. Chris, thank you much for
the time. As always.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
All right, thanks Chris.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
Fisher, joining us here on the Leach Report Radio Network.
We're going to head to a break, and when we
come back, Mike de Coursi joins the program. It's the
Leach Report Radio Network coming to you on the Club
Blue nil Dot com hotline.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
It is the Leach Report Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
We've been telling you about the new initiative from Club Blue,
the official NIL collective partner of UK Athletics, and that
is for the Club Blue Kids program, and they have
an event coming up. It is for Club Blue Kids
members only. It'll be on June the eighth at five
(18:17):
thirty Eastern time and it is to have ice cream
with Brandon Garrison. So if you'd like your youngster to
be a part of things like that, you can sign
them up at Club blueoil dot com go.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
To the Kids tab. That's how you start the process.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Youngsters get perks like a T shirt, an official T shirt,
a membership card, a lanyard, access to exclusive events like
this one with Brandon, athlete experiences, meet and greets and more.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Club Blue Kids where future Wildcats.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Rep the Blue and White with pride. We go to
the aforementioned Club blueenil dot com online and bring on
Mike Decorsi from Sportingnews dot com and at TSN MIC
on x to talk first Mike about otega Oway and
his decision day for him and everybody here is anxiously
(19:07):
awaiting a decision these things, at least for Kentucky seemed
to go all the way down to the last minute.
Now the banning average has been good. Jackson Robinson ultimately
came back, and Amanudiallo ultimately came back. And I guess
others that maybe you're escaping my mind at the moment,
but any guess on Otaya, Well.
Speaker 6 (19:25):
Gosh, Tom, I mean it.
Speaker 5 (19:26):
There isn't any logic at this point for him to
leave with the amount of money that a Kentucky player,
I don't know specifically what his deal would be, but
a Kentucky player who's expected to be in the rotation
is going to make a.
Speaker 6 (19:40):
Lot of money.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
And a player who's expected I mean, I'm not being
mean here.
Speaker 6 (19:45):
I mean, at.
Speaker 5 (19:46):
Best, you're talking about somebody who would probably end up
on a two way deal is not going to make
the kind of money that you would make at Kentucky.
And again, there's the possibility of continuing to progress and
it maybe eventually either get into the early stages of
the second round where you'd be likely a roster player,
or maybe even into the first round. As he continues
(20:10):
to improve his ball handling ability and his shooting ability.
Speaker 6 (20:14):
That possibility is out there.
Speaker 5 (20:16):
But meanwhile he's making money at Kentucky that he can't
make anywhere else in the world at this stage of
his career. Spain's not going to pay him like that.
Certainly the G League or two ways not going to
pay him like that. So it's a very narrow window
he would be wagering on, so to speak, if he
(20:36):
were to not return.
Speaker 6 (20:37):
So I'm sure he's trying.
Speaker 5 (20:39):
To get every last workout in and meet every last executive,
and good for him. I've always said I believe that
anybody who's in the ballparks should go through this process
because it's not only valuable, it's valuable on every level.
Speaker 6 (20:53):
There's the feedback, there's the experience. It's like I always
call it, like a summer internship.
Speaker 5 (20:59):
You find out, Okay, this is what they want to see,
this is what they need me to get better at.
Speaker 6 (21:04):
This is what I need to.
Speaker 5 (21:05):
Be good at when I come into these tryouts next
year and get the opportunity to do it for the
last time. And so all that stuff, all that experience
is great, and good for him for using every last
ounce of it, But I don't think it makes any
sense for him to not return to Kentucky.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
I always think about the guys at Florida after they
won the title in six and Noah Brewer and Horford
and they decided to come back, and economically that wasn't
the best decision they could have made at the time,
but they followed their heart and that's okay to do that.
(21:45):
And Mark Pope talked about that in interview he did
yesterday down at the SEC meetings that Oteagan needs to
basically follow his heart on this, because if you come
back and your heart isn't fully in being back, that's
not good for either side either.
Speaker 6 (22:02):
Oh.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
I agree with that, But in Otaka's case, this is
not an experience. Although he's experienced college basketball for a
long period of time, he hasn't been in Kentucky long
enough to get tired of it. We've seen guys back
in the past who would play three years and want
to go in part because they were just they'd gone
through the process of being a college athlete long enough
(22:25):
and no longer wanted to do that. But now we're
seeing fewer players get to that point because the price
you have to pay is more than balanced out on
the other side by the price you are paid. Before
it was a lot of commitment, a lot of time
and a lot of effort, and you did get your
(22:46):
scholarship and you got your training, but at a certain
point you got enough.
Speaker 6 (22:50):
Credits that you knew you could finish.
Speaker 5 (22:51):
Eventually, you got enough training that you pretty much had
heard everything the coaches had to say about how to
get better, and we.
Speaker 6 (22:59):
Saw, guys, I've done enough.
Speaker 5 (23:01):
But now the reward is not just all of that,
but multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions
in some cases. And so it balances out, and you say, okay, well,
the price I have to pay to stay here is
more than balanced out. On the other side, I get
compensated at a level that I'm not going to anywhere else,
(23:24):
And so we don't see the same feel about it
as we did five or six years ago.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Sometimes when a guys evaluating an NBA opportunity and it's
not as good as he wants, it may be because
there's something in measurables that keeps him from fully being embraced.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
By the NBA.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
Maybe in Otega's case, the things that I would assume
he's been told that he could improve on are things
he realistically could improve on. Be a little better three
point shooter, be a little better defender, get a chance
to show more of those playmaking skills and decision making
(24:11):
that Mark Pope has talked about could be a big
source of improvement and a likely source of improvement for him.
So those are all things that are realistic for him
to achieve.
Speaker 5 (24:23):
Oh absolutely, I think he would gain a ton with
a healthy season at Kentucky in twenty twenty five, twenty
six and that winning experience. He knows how to play
in the tournament now he's won, he's won two rounds.
Going deeper, it gets harder and you learn more by
(24:43):
going through that, and you get better. And even if
you play in an Elite eight game and don't win it,
you learn something. If you play in it and win it,
you learn more because you get the opportunity to do
the same the following weekend in the final four. There
are lots of lessons out there for him, and I
think he's.
Speaker 6 (25:01):
I think he's a prospect.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
I do.
Speaker 5 (25:03):
I think that he will play in the league. But
for him, it's a question of do I just get
my name on NBA Reference, or do I get to
be there and stay there and contribute and do it
for a long period of time. And I think that's
the difference that he that that really probably exists between
coming and going because if he if he goes now,
(25:25):
I think that odds against him being more than a name.
Speaker 6 (25:28):
Like I said, it used to be get your name
in the NBA.
Speaker 5 (25:31):
Guide the Sporting News is to publish back when I
was young. Now it's NBA Reference. You look it up
and you find lots of guys out there who've played
five games, six games, the ten games. They can always
say they were an NBA player, but they really the
great rewards are in those guys who were in the
league year after year after year.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
Mike de Course with us from Sportingnews dot com will
continue the chat here in just a moment. The LPGA
Legends are coming to Woodford Can The Woodford Legends Invitational
Golf tournaments coming up on Saturday and Sunday, June seventh
and eighth at the Woodford Club and for sales, tickets
just fifteen dollars a day. Kids seventeen and under get
in free. Proceeds benefit KVC Kentucky. You can go to
(26:13):
Woodford Clubfoundation dot org to get details. Players like Julieangster,
Bradley Laura Davi is going to be playing in Woodford
County at this event on June seventh and eighth, Woodford
Club Foundation dot Org. We'll be right back Nature Part's
presented by Bob Kat Enterprises, and we're chatting with Mike
Decursi from Sportingnews dot com. Just on one more follow
(26:34):
up on Otega Oway and a post from Darryl Bird
on X who's with the Cat's Paws, And heard from
Mark Pope yesterday that Otega has one final workout for
an NBA team that is coming up today ahead of
the deadline. So it's another reason why he's waiting to
make his decision, because why not, Mike, you somebody the
(26:56):
last team might be the one that tells you what
you want to hear.
Speaker 6 (26:59):
I think that's true.
Speaker 5 (27:00):
And as I said, even if it's just a fact finding,
I mean, who knows who the workout is with.
Speaker 3 (27:06):
Let's just say it's Steve.
Speaker 5 (27:07):
Let's say it's.
Speaker 6 (27:07):
Steve Kerrent the Warriors. Why not don't meet Steve Kerr
and the Warriors? Yes, I mean why wouldn't.
Speaker 5 (27:12):
You want to meet the Olympic gold medalist, four time
NBA champion coach plus titles He wont.
Speaker 6 (27:20):
At with the bulls. I mean, why wouldn't you. I'm
all for it.
Speaker 5 (27:24):
The deadline is when the deadline is, and there's no
there's no points to be gained by getting out early.
Speaker 6 (27:33):
You don't You.
Speaker 5 (27:34):
Don't start the season with the extra bucket on the
board or anything if you if you're out by the
twentieth instead of the twenty eighth. So I think it's
great for him to do that, and I don't think
it's wise at this stage for him to go with
the way the economics of the game have changed, but
I think the experience he's getting now is valuable.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
While we're talking about Mark Pope in this context, we
can also segue in to another topic that he has
tossed out, which is being an advocate for more games
for college basketball teams. He'd like to see it get
to forty I know that that's going to happen anytime soon.
But do you think any element of that argument gains
(28:16):
any traction.
Speaker 5 (28:17):
I'm not sure exactly what he's looking for with more games,
because it is there are people who already are advocates
of pushing the seasons start back, because anytime there's a
football game on you can't have basketball.
Speaker 6 (28:31):
At the same time. It would be the worst thing
that would ever happen.
Speaker 5 (28:35):
I don't understand that mentality, but it's out there. So
I'm not sure what the value in more games is.
It's already a fairly long season under these circumstances, because
you're starting the first week in November, you're ending in
early April.
Speaker 6 (28:54):
Would you start in October. It doesn't seem like that's
something that would be of great appeal to the public.
Speaker 5 (29:02):
I think that one of the things that makes college
basketball exciting is that the number of games is fairly limited.
Speaker 6 (29:10):
It's the NBA. The eighty two games plus playoffs is
a lot.
Speaker 5 (29:15):
And I think it mutes the impact of the regular season,
especially the games themselves. They're important to the people who go,
but not as important to the people who watch consume
the product in general.
Speaker 6 (29:30):
There's just so many of them.
Speaker 5 (29:32):
So I'm not sure exactly what Mark thinks the value
of another six or so games. I guess we're talking
about seven games, because I think the limit, the real
limit is somewhere around thirty three games or so.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
One thing that I've always thought made a lot of
sense cal Perry throughout the idea of playing games in August,
you could even I think, do it into July. To me,
there's just a before football ramps up there and as
the NBA playoffs wind down, there is a dead spot
on this sports calendar. And I just think about those
times Kentucky's played games in the Bahamas or Toronto, and
(30:08):
it was great fun for Kentucky fans to have those
games to follow four games six one time. And you know,
for all of college Pascal, I know, you wouldn't necessarily
have to, you know, to go to some well, you
could still keep that, you know, the nice locations every
four years. But let teams play a few games exhibition.
(30:29):
Maybe eventually if they morph into games that would count.
I don't know, but at least exhibition games. Couldn't that
be something they could get to.
Speaker 5 (30:36):
I think that would be great, especially in August, to
play exhibition games.
Speaker 6 (30:40):
I think it's good for the athletes to play those games.
Speaker 5 (30:43):
I think it's good for exposure and sort of as
a tease to the season.
Speaker 6 (30:48):
I think all that's great. I'm all for that.
Speaker 5 (30:51):
I'm not sure i'd prefer that they become regular season games,
especially since there would then be that big gap between
the heart of the regular season. Funny coaches complain about
now games in November and December. Cat This doesn't come
up much in the SEC where you get fourteen bits,
but it comes up a lot of the ACC where
they say, well, we're getting better, and why aren't you
(31:13):
counting our games in February as much as you count
all the games we lose in November. So if you
put those games in August and started counting them toward
NC Double A tournament inclusion, I'm not sure that their
mind's gould handle that shift.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
To the playoffs. The Thunder could close out Minnesota tonight
and Shay Gilges Alexander had forty in the game, three
win for OKC. How big of a surprise has he
been to you in terms of the level he's at
versus what you thought after his one year at Kentucky.
Speaker 6 (31:51):
Oh, I love I love them at Kentucky.
Speaker 5 (31:53):
But who would have imagined him becoming one of the
three or four best players in the NBA.
Speaker 6 (31:59):
I don't know even he imagined that. I suppose he
aspired to it, but.
Speaker 5 (32:04):
I'm not sure that when you're sitting there at Kentucky,
you're the thirty first ranked player in your high school
class and then had it tremendously successful first year and
then they pick you, I think eleventh in the draft.
I don't know at what point you start to say, Okay,
I'm better than everybody. I'm sure it happened somewhere along
the line. But what a remarkable development for him that
(32:27):
the course he's followed has been so impressive. He's I
think his year at Kentucky helped him a ton. I
think that experience in college basketball is underrated generally, but
the improvements he's continued to make since he got to OKC,
I don't know that I've seen much like it in
(32:49):
the American basketball path. I mean, Jokic was.
Speaker 6 (32:52):
On the Serbia team I think it was.
Speaker 5 (32:54):
In twenty fourteen around there that played the US in
the U twenties and there was a gold medal game
and I think he played like twenty minutes and then
he became the best player in the world.
Speaker 6 (33:06):
And so who you know.
Speaker 5 (33:07):
So I don't know anything about before or after though,
But Shaye, we saw at Kentucky and we saw a
really find prospect, but best player in the league, just phenomenal,
and it obviously took a lot of dedication and a
lot of strength, a lot of belief to get there.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
The story when he was here, I was told many
times about him doing the early morning workouts with assistant
coach Joel Justice at the time. I saw Joeld tweeting
about that recently, and you know, the simple formula. Even
a guy like Michael Jordan was renowned for how hard
he worked at his craft, and clearly that's been a
(33:46):
big part of why Shae has, you know, outperformed expectations.
You know, he was in the McDonald's game and those
kinds of things coming out of high school.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
But looking back, he certainly would be.
Speaker 5 (33:58):
You know, I I spend a few summers, a lot
of summers on the road covering the high school tournaments
and camps and that sort of thing. And every now
and then, often in Vegas, you'd be in a gym
and they'd say stick around, it's always gonna work out.
And so I saw Lebron go through one of those.
I saw Kevin Durant, and I just to me it
(34:22):
was like, how can you find the energy to go
this hard in the middle of July when you're that
wealthy and that successful.
Speaker 6 (34:31):
I'd never run out of admiration and amazement at how.
Speaker 5 (34:36):
Hard NBA players are willing to work to get better.
And I'm not just talking about the guys working to
try to stay in the league. I'm talking about the
guys who are all time legends and still want to
be better.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
Mike Courseisportingnews dot Com.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
Thank you, sir.
Speaker 6 (34:51):
All right, Thanks Tom following.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
The TSN MIC on X or Twitter if you prefer,
and he joins us on Wednesdays here on the Leads
Report of the club Bluelenile dot com online. We'll be
right back for our final segment of the Leach Report.
Let Chapari presented by Bob Kat Enterprises, and we mentioned
guys who had made the decision to come back to
(35:13):
college basketball out of the NBA draft mentioned I think
with Chris Fisher, Alex contin at Florida, Mackenzie Andbacco coming
back to Texas, A and M. There was Carter Knox
to Arkansas, Hubbard to Mississippi State. One more that was
a guy Kentucky was involved with, it's least in the
transfer portal period of recruiting and the name was associated
(35:35):
with Kentucky. I think also with Auburn, Yaxell Lindenberg ended
up picking Michigan, but every he thought he would stay
in the draft, but he has decided to come back
to college basketball and we'll play for Michigan next season.
Wild Cat History Notes each day a service of Kentucky
road show sports cards and memorabilia that's on Romney Road
here in Lexington and at roadshowcards dot Com. It's just
(35:56):
one birthday, Bob Brandham back in the forties, e Jenery
player for UK, was born on this day. Springtime is
still with us about them transition into summer. But if
you're looking to still shake off the winter gloom or
just the gloom from all the rain that we seem
to get, our friends at Cornbread Hemp can help you
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us start fresh with their infused gummies to help you relax.
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is the good life. You know the guys in the
Blue Coats at uh Rapperina, Well, that's the Committee of
(37:02):
one oh one. It's an organization goes back to the
sixties supporting UK Athletics and they are accepting applications for
new members. You can email UK one oh one Membership
at gmail dot com and get details and figure out
how you can apply for the Committee of one oh one,
also known as the Blue Coats. It's an all volunteer group,
a great bunch of men and women who love the
(37:24):
Cats that will do it for us. We will see
you tomorrow on the Leads Report Radio Network
Good day, everybody. Welcome into the Leech Report presented by
Bob Kat Enterprises and coming up on this Wednesday.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
We will lead off with Chris Fisher from the Cat's Pause.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
But later Mike de Corsi from the Sporting News joining us,
and we will I'm sure be talking a good bit
about Otega, oh way, which leads us into the Wildcat
News of the Day presented by je Seppies of Lexington.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Decision day for Otega.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
He has until well, we say midnight, actually I guess
eleven fifty nine pm Eastern time.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
To make his decision.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Darryl Bird from the Cat's Pause always goes down to
the SEC meetings in destin what you're going on this
week and get some good content out of that session
on an annual basis. He got a chance to talk
to Mark Pope yesterday. Pope said, quote, trying to give
Otega as much space as possible. He said, quote, there
(00:57):
is a space for him in that league at some point,
so it's going to be all about where his heart is.
It'll work out the way it's supposed to work out.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Now. Pope said that if Otaga.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Comes back to Kentucky and his heart isn't in it,
then it's probably not great situation for anybody.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
So he needs to follow his heart.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
And that kind of segues into something Matt Norlander, CBS
said on a podcast yesterday he still believes o Way
ultimately will decide to return to Kentucky, but he said
in the last four or five days, there's been really
really good feedback unquote for Otaga. So if you were wondering,
(01:42):
you know why he's waiting until the last minute to
make the decision, there's maybe your answer that he's still
going through these workouts and maybe you know he's getting
information in earlier workouts that he's putting into practice in
later workouts, and obviously there's a lot to like about
his game. It seems to make the most sense, I
(02:08):
would think to return and become a little better shooter
and show some of those playmaking skills that Mark Pope
has talked about frequently, become a little better defender and
secure spot in the first round next season. But we'll see,
we're gonna have an answer one way or the other
(02:29):
by the time we talk tomorrow. Nick Benjion talked to
the media yesterday about the upcoming NCAA tournament for his
Kentucky baseball team, talked about incorporating thirty new players from
last season. After Kentucky made its first run to Omaha
for the College World Series, he said quote, I wish
I could tell you I knew this would turn out,
(02:52):
but I didn't. But he's very proud of how his
guys did come together to form the kind of team
that was able to get to an NCAA tournament for
the third year in a row for the first time
in school history. And coach Benjione said, as he's looked
back on the season, had some extra time here waiting
for the NCUBLEA tournament to start, He said, by his count,
(03:15):
Kentucky would be nine plays away from repeating his SEC
champions I don't think he went through the whole list
of nine plays, but if you go back and think
about it, you know, you look at all the teams
that are hosting, all the SEC schools that are hosting,
Kentucky played most of them and only got swept by Vanderbilt.
(03:38):
As far as teams that are hosting, I don't think
Missisippi State's hosting, so Vanderbilt. How about Vanderbilt and overall
number one seed Kentucky should well have taken two of three.
I mean had the lead down to the last strike
for the last out in the first two games of
that series. So that's just in that series alone, how
close Kentucky was. So there's the old Bill Parcells line.
(04:02):
You are what your record says you are. So there's
that line of thinking. There's also the line of thinking
that Kentucky was very close and if they could make
a few of those key plays in the postseason, maybe
they could make a run to Omaha for the second
year in a row. So it all starts on Friday
down in Clemson. Will Kentucky will play West Virginia at
newon Eastern Time. Offensive line coach Eric Wolford as a
(04:26):
new one year extension on his contract for Kentucky Football
takes him through the twenty six season. He was set
to expire at the end of this season. He gets
a one hundred thousand dollars pay bump to nine hundred
thousand dollars a year nine twenty five. I believe I
saw in the second season of the new deal. Wolford
came back for his second stint at Kentucky mainly out
(04:48):
of a desire from Mark stoops to improve their offensive
line recruiting, and this year will really tell the tale
of that happening, as Wolford had the the whole year
to basically rebuild an offensive line, and I think there's
a lot of hope that is going to be a
(05:09):
much improved unit. This season really has to be for
Kentucky to have a chance to pull off any surprises,
and from what the reports were out of spring, there's
a lot of optimism that will be the case this fall.
Links to the stories that we talk about each day.
You can find those on the bud Light Leach Report
page at Tom leachky dot com. Got a note from
(05:33):
a company in the London area, state Line Company, that
is launching a fundraiser to help bring some relief to
the tornado victims in Laurel County, and they it's a
state line company getting donations from businesses, customers, followers across
the state and they're going to expand the effort with
(05:56):
a chance to purchase a T shirt and exchange the
the donations will go or the proceeds will go to
the victims of the tornado. The London Strong shirt is
a way to receive something in return for your donation,
but any contribution will help these people, even just two
helping hands, according to Jonathan McClure, who's the co founder
(06:17):
of state Line Co. And they've received over ten thousand
dollars in donations as when this release came into me
last week. So I appreciate everybody who's done whatever they
can with manpower or financial support to help out down
in the area there in Laurel County and also over
in Pulaski County which got hit. But those look for
(06:38):
those London Strong t shirts from state Line Co. And
it's a way you can show your support for the
folks down there and as well as help them out financially.
Links to the stories that we talk about bud lightly
Triport page at Tom Leachky dot com. We'll be right
back talk with Chris Fisher. The Cat's Pause opening segment
of wild Cat News, presented by just Sepies of Lexington
(07:00):
and Giuseppes, is located off Nicholasville Road, just out pass
men Or Boulevard here in Lexington. Been there for about
thirty years. Fantastic food. The steaks are handcut fresh seafood,
chipped in homemade pasta, A lot of locally sourced ingredients
on the menu as well. Check out the menu at
jusepes Lexington dot com and make a reservation at open Table.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Lettripirts presented each today by Bobcat Enterprises for locations around Kentucky.
So when you need to buy or rent some heavy
equipment excavators, forklifts, skid steerloaders, et cetera, or need a
new zero turn MOVERI for your home, the folks at
Bobcat Enterprises will take good care of you. Google them
(07:42):
to find the location nearest you. Chris Fisher joins us
it covers the Cats for Catspaws dot com and he
joins us on the Club Blueenisle dot com hotline. You
think otega Oway comes back to Kentucky next season.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Just based on the projections, and I guess you know
everyone around the program's expectations. I would expect.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
Him to be back at Kentucky.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
But my colleague Girl Bird.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Had an exclusive one on one with Mark Pope at
the SEC Spring meetings in Florida and said, for otega Oway,
it's just it's a matter of the heart, and if
his heart is in the NBA, then that's what he
should choose. And if his heart's at Kentucky, that's what
he should choose, because it's not gonna work out either way,
right if his if his heart is at Kentucky, it's
not gonna work out for him the NBA. And if
(08:34):
he's you know, if you flip it around, if he
comes back to Kentucky but his heart's in the NBA,
then it's not gonna work out in that situation either
either path that he chooses.
Speaker 4 (08:45):
He's got to be.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
All in on it, and it's gonna come down to
what his heart is telling him.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Yeah, And it's a it's a tough situation because he
seems to be one of those guys that you could
see if he chose the NBA, you could see him,
you know, finding his spot eventually. I don't think he immediately,
you know, is in anybody starting lineup. But he has
a lot of things he could bring to the table.
He's got, you know, an NBA body certainly, but with
(09:16):
the opportunity that Nil provides, that's the that I mean,
this would have been an easy decision for him before
Nil to go to the NBA. But now he'll I
would assume make more money at Kentucky next season than
he would in the NBA, would you agree.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Yeah, And I would think a lot more, perhaps even
you know, double what he would make on you know,
a potential two way contract kind of bounce him forth
between the G League and and the NBA next season.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
I would think a guy like Otaka.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
Oh, it would be the poster boy for n I
L and the opportunities that that it provides. But on
the flip side of that, I could see, you know,
being that close to your dream and having the ability
to kind of just reach out and grab it as
opposed to delaying it, you know, one more year. That
(10:10):
would be a really really hard decision to make, regardless.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
Of what the money is saying.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
But you know, you look at other guys like Mackenzie
and Bacco going back to Texas A and m he
was projected as a late second round pick.
Speaker 4 (10:25):
Alex Condon, who I think.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
In some mock drafts was you know, late first kind
of early second going back to Florida, and so, you know,
at least based on the mock projections, I'm not sure
I saw any of the major mocks that had otega
Oway included. You know, I think NBA decision makers want
to see him go back to Kentucky and kind of
(10:49):
extrapolate what he's done throughout the NBA draft process and
see that over the course of another season in Kentucky.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
And that's where what Bark Pope talked about yesterday and
the story with Darryl Burr that you referenced about his heart,
you know, following his heart because if he comes back,
you know, he has to be then all in on
whatever those areas are improvement are for him to be
able to maximize the decision to come back.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
Yeah, and you know, Mark Clovis talked so much about
that that second year jump that guys make in his
system because a lot so much of the first year
is just spent on getting the decision making down, and
then once you come back for that second season, you've
got the decision making part down. Now all of a sudden,
you can play fast and play free.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
And you know.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
That could equal a huge jump for otega Oway in
year two at Kentucky to where you know, we're not
talking about him as a fringe second round pick. Maybe
he you know, plays his way into the first round
because as you said, he has several NBA attributes aready.
It's about kind of refining and rounding out the rest
(12:04):
of his ball game.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Yeah, it's comes back I think to something I know
Mike Praddy used to talk about a lot. With big guys,
you get more of a chance to fail, I think
at the NBA level, whereas if you're guard, you really
have to make sure that your game is NBA ready
when you go, because if it takes two or three
(12:29):
years to get NBA ready, they may move on to
somebody younger by the time, you know, the end of
your first contract rolls around.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Yeah, And I think that's something that John Caliperry taught
used to talk about a lot as well, where if
you're one of those fringe guys, if you're a G
league guy, you have a much smaller window to prove
what you can do at the highest level. And as
you said, if you don't do that, teams are simply
going to move on without you and with you know,
(13:02):
kind of being a fringe roster guy, you're not gonna
see a lot of the same reps you know that
these more established roster guys are, and so you just
your your opportunities are so limited in that in that capacity,
when you're considered a fringe guy, whether it be at
the end of the NBA draft or on the end
(13:22):
of the NBA roster.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
We're talking with Chris Fisher from Katzpause dot com and
we will continue to visit here. In just a moment,
it's coming to you from the Clark's Pumping Shop studio.
They have a new loyalty rewards program you should sign
up for get some discounts on gas and items in
their stores. Return, refreshing, Refuel at Clark's twenty five past
the top of the hour. Here at the Leach Report
(13:46):
Radio Network presented by Bobcat Enterprises, we're chatting with Chris
Fisher from Katzpause dot Com. It's at Chris Fisher twenty
four to seven on X. You have a story up
at the Cat's Pause site about a UK tennis player
off to a really good start at the French Open.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Right Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Gabriel Diallo, who starred at Kentucky several years ago, was
scored an upset in his first round match at the
French Open, his first major victory at the French Open,
and a guy that led Kentucky to an NCAA runner
up finish in twenty twenty two, and I mean he's
(14:24):
a young.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
Guy that's really really made a name for himself.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
He's won several Grand Slam matches over the last couple
of years and seems like he just continues to get
better and better every time he steps on the court.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Dennis Hemry did a marvelous job of building up the
tennis programs at UK and didn't always get carried on
when somebody is the kind of the architect of something
like that, but it has for Kentucky.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Kentucky's tennis program.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Yeah, they bowed out in the second round this year
to the number one overall seed, wake Forest, but prior
to that had reached the Elite eight in three consecutive seasons.
So yeah, they have a really really solid solid foundation
with that program running.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
So back to Otega Oway and his decision, which will
come today. Let's well, just for the purposes of the
discussion here out of the season, spitball some topics like
what a benef he does stay in the draft.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Would Kentucky go try to find another player?
Speaker 3 (15:32):
I would think so. I think losing a player of
Otega always caliber, and I think you know, if you're Kentucky,
he's the biggest known commodity that you have. I mean,
he's a guy that led you in scoring. I led
a really good Kentucky team in scoring last season. Was
the most consistent player, I think, by far on the roster.
(15:53):
I think he scored in double figures in thirty three
of thirty six games. I don't think this is a
situation where you can just move everybody.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
Up a peg and and everything is fine.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
I think you have to go out and get a
replacement for him. And I'm sure that's something that you know.
Mark Pope is a planner.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
He's a detailed guy.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
I think I'm sure he's had options A, B and
C kind of lined up for for a while now.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
R J.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Lewis, I think that the you know, big East player
of the year, I think is probably a guy that
they would that they would look at if he pulls
out of the draft as well. But I do think
if he stays in the draft, you got to go
sign to replace me.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Anybody's decision to stay in or out come out of
the draft at this point been particularly surprising to you.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
I talked about McKenzie Imbaco. I think you know he
had as good of a.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
Combine I think as anybody and had kind of moved
his way up into some of those mock drafts. Him
coming back to Texas, A and M I think was
a little bit surprising Alex Condon as well. I mean,
you know, again, a guy that's late first early second
deciding to come back to Florida, and Florida is going to.
Speaker 4 (17:03):
Be loaded for bear once again.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
And Carter Knox is another guy coming back to Arkansas.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
I think he was kind of an early, early to
mid second round pick, and you know, was one of
those guys that was.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Playing his best basketball at the end of the season.
I thought he might try to parlay that into the
NBA draft. But he'll come back to Arkansas, and Arkansas
looks like they'll be really good again next season.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
And all those guys you mentioned Kentucky will see this
season since they're.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Coming back to SEC schools. Chris, thank you much for
the time. As always.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
All right, thanks Chris.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
Fisher, joining us here on the Leach Report Radio Network.
We're going to head to a break, and when we
come back, Mike de Coursi joins the program. It's the
Leach Report Radio Network coming to you on the Club
Blue nil Dot com hotline.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
It is the Leach Report Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
We've been telling you about the new initiative from Club Blue,
the official NIL collective partner of UK Athletics, and that
is for the Club Blue Kids program, and they have
an event coming up. It is for Club Blue Kids
members only. It'll be on June the eighth at five
(18:17):
thirty Eastern time and it is to have ice cream
with Brandon Garrison. So if you'd like your youngster to
be a part of things like that, you can sign
them up at Club blueoil dot com go.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
To the Kids tab. That's how you start the process.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Youngsters get perks like a T shirt, an official T shirt,
a membership card, a lanyard, access to exclusive events like
this one with Brandon, athlete experiences, meet and greets and more.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Club Blue Kids where future Wildcats.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Rep the Blue and White with pride. We go to
the aforementioned Club blueenil dot com online and bring on
Mike Decorsi from Sportingnews dot com and at TSN MIC
on x to talk first Mike about otega Oway and
his decision day for him and everybody here is anxiously
(19:07):
awaiting a decision these things, at least for Kentucky seemed
to go all the way down to the last minute.
Now the banning average has been good. Jackson Robinson ultimately
came back, and Amanudiallo ultimately came back. And I guess
others that maybe you're escaping my mind at the moment,
but any guess on Otaya, Well.
Speaker 6 (19:25):
Gosh, Tom, I mean it.
Speaker 5 (19:26):
There isn't any logic at this point for him to
leave with the amount of money that a Kentucky player,
I don't know specifically what his deal would be, but
a Kentucky player who's expected to be in the rotation
is going to make a.
Speaker 6 (19:40):
Lot of money.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
And a player who's expected I mean, I'm not being
mean here.
Speaker 6 (19:45):
I mean, at.
Speaker 5 (19:46):
Best, you're talking about somebody who would probably end up
on a two way deal is not going to make
the kind of money that you would make at Kentucky.
And again, there's the possibility of continuing to progress and
it maybe eventually either get into the early stages of
the second round where you'd be likely a roster player,
or maybe even into the first round. As he continues
(20:10):
to improve his ball handling ability and his shooting ability.
Speaker 6 (20:14):
That possibility is out there.
Speaker 5 (20:16):
But meanwhile he's making money at Kentucky that he can't
make anywhere else in the world at this stage of
his career. Spain's not going to pay him like that.
Certainly the G League or two ways not going to
pay him like that. So it's a very narrow window
he would be wagering on, so to speak, if he
(20:36):
were to not return.
Speaker 6 (20:37):
So I'm sure he's trying.
Speaker 5 (20:39):
To get every last workout in and meet every last executive,
and good for him. I've always said I believe that
anybody who's in the ballparks should go through this process
because it's not only valuable, it's valuable on every level.
Speaker 6 (20:53):
There's the feedback, there's the experience. It's like I always
call it, like a summer internship.
Speaker 5 (20:59):
You find out, Okay, this is what they want to see,
this is what they need me to get better at.
Speaker 6 (21:04):
This is what I need to.
Speaker 5 (21:05):
Be good at when I come into these tryouts next
year and get the opportunity to do it for the
last time. And so all that stuff, all that experience
is great, and good for him for using every last
ounce of it, But I don't think it makes any
sense for him to not return to Kentucky.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
I always think about the guys at Florida after they
won the title in six and Noah Brewer and Horford
and they decided to come back, and economically that wasn't
the best decision they could have made at the time,
but they followed their heart and that's okay to do that.
(21:45):
And Mark Pope talked about that in interview he did
yesterday down at the SEC meetings that Oteagan needs to
basically follow his heart on this, because if you come
back and your heart isn't fully in being back, that's
not good for either side either.
Speaker 6 (22:02):
Oh.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
I agree with that, But in Otaka's case, this is
not an experience. Although he's experienced college basketball for a
long period of time, he hasn't been in Kentucky long
enough to get tired of it. We've seen guys back
in the past who would play three years and want
to go in part because they were just they'd gone
through the process of being a college athlete long enough
(22:25):
and no longer wanted to do that. But now we're
seeing fewer players get to that point because the price
you have to pay is more than balanced out on
the other side by the price you are paid. Before
it was a lot of commitment, a lot of time
and a lot of effort, and you did get your
(22:46):
scholarship and you got your training, but at a certain
point you got enough.
Speaker 6 (22:50):
Credits that you knew you could finish.
Speaker 5 (22:51):
Eventually, you got enough training that you pretty much had
heard everything the coaches had to say about how to
get better, and we.
Speaker 6 (22:59):
Saw, guys, I've done enough.
Speaker 5 (23:01):
But now the reward is not just all of that,
but multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions
in some cases. And so it balances out, and you say, okay, well,
the price I have to pay to stay here is
more than balanced out. On the other side, I get
compensated at a level that I'm not going to anywhere else,
(23:24):
And so we don't see the same feel about it
as we did five or six years ago.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Sometimes when a guys evaluating an NBA opportunity and it's
not as good as he wants, it may be because
there's something in measurables that keeps him from fully being embraced.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
By the NBA.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
Maybe in Otega's case, the things that I would assume
he's been told that he could improve on are things
he realistically could improve on. Be a little better three
point shooter, be a little better defender, get a chance
to show more of those playmaking skills and decision making
(24:11):
that Mark Pope has talked about could be a big
source of improvement and a likely source of improvement for him.
So those are all things that are realistic for him
to achieve.
Speaker 5 (24:23):
Oh absolutely, I think he would gain a ton with
a healthy season at Kentucky in twenty twenty five, twenty
six and that winning experience. He knows how to play
in the tournament now he's won, he's won two rounds.
Going deeper, it gets harder and you learn more by
(24:43):
going through that, and you get better. And even if
you play in an Elite eight game and don't win it,
you learn something. If you play in it and win it,
you learn more because you get the opportunity to do
the same the following weekend in the final four. There
are lots of lessons out there for him, and I
think he's.
Speaker 6 (25:01):
I think he's a prospect.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
I do.
Speaker 5 (25:03):
I think that he will play in the league. But
for him, it's a question of do I just get
my name on NBA Reference, or do I get to
be there and stay there and contribute and do it
for a long period of time. And I think that's
the difference that he that that really probably exists between
coming and going because if he if he goes now,
(25:25):
I think that odds against him being more than a name.
Speaker 6 (25:28):
Like I said, it used to be get your name
in the NBA.
Speaker 5 (25:31):
Guide the Sporting News is to publish back when I
was young. Now it's NBA Reference. You look it up
and you find lots of guys out there who've played
five games, six games, the ten games. They can always
say they were an NBA player, but they really the
great rewards are in those guys who were in the
league year after year after year.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
Mike de Course with us from Sportingnews dot com will
continue the chat here in just a moment. The LPGA
Legends are coming to Woodford Can The Woodford Legends Invitational
Golf tournaments coming up on Saturday and Sunday, June seventh
and eighth at the Woodford Club and for sales, tickets
just fifteen dollars a day. Kids seventeen and under get
in free. Proceeds benefit KVC Kentucky. You can go to
(26:13):
Woodford Clubfoundation dot org to get details. Players like Julieangster,
Bradley Laura Davi is going to be playing in Woodford
County at this event on June seventh and eighth, Woodford
Club Foundation dot Org. We'll be right back Nature Part's
presented by Bob Kat Enterprises, and we're chatting with Mike
Decursi from Sportingnews dot com. Just on one more follow
(26:34):
up on Otega Oway and a post from Darryl Bird
on X who's with the Cat's Paws, And heard from
Mark Pope yesterday that Otega has one final workout for
an NBA team that is coming up today ahead of
the deadline. So it's another reason why he's waiting to
make his decision, because why not, Mike, you somebody the
(26:56):
last team might be the one that tells you what
you want to hear.
Speaker 6 (26:59):
I think that's true.
Speaker 5 (27:00):
And as I said, even if it's just a fact finding,
I mean, who knows who the workout is with.
Speaker 3 (27:06):
Let's just say it's Steve.
Speaker 5 (27:07):
Let's say it's.
Speaker 6 (27:07):
Steve Kerrent the Warriors. Why not don't meet Steve Kerr
and the Warriors? Yes, I mean why wouldn't.
Speaker 5 (27:12):
You want to meet the Olympic gold medalist, four time
NBA champion coach plus titles He wont.
Speaker 6 (27:20):
At with the bulls. I mean, why wouldn't you. I'm
all for it.
Speaker 5 (27:24):
The deadline is when the deadline is, and there's no
there's no points to be gained by getting out early.
Speaker 6 (27:33):
You don't You.
Speaker 5 (27:34):
Don't start the season with the extra bucket on the
board or anything if you if you're out by the
twentieth instead of the twenty eighth. So I think it's
great for him to do that, and I don't think
it's wise at this stage for him to go with
the way the economics of the game have changed, but
I think the experience he's getting now is valuable.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
While we're talking about Mark Pope in this context, we
can also segue in to another topic that he has
tossed out, which is being an advocate for more games
for college basketball teams. He'd like to see it get
to forty I know that that's going to happen anytime soon.
But do you think any element of that argument gains
(28:16):
any traction.
Speaker 5 (28:17):
I'm not sure exactly what he's looking for with more games,
because it is there are people who already are advocates
of pushing the seasons start back, because anytime there's a
football game on you can't have basketball.
Speaker 6 (28:31):
At the same time. It would be the worst thing
that would ever happen.
Speaker 5 (28:35):
I don't understand that mentality, but it's out there. So
I'm not sure what the value in more games is.
It's already a fairly long season under these circumstances, because
you're starting the first week in November, you're ending in
early April.
Speaker 6 (28:54):
Would you start in October. It doesn't seem like that's
something that would be of great appeal to the public.
Speaker 5 (29:02):
I think that one of the things that makes college
basketball exciting is that the number of games is fairly limited.
Speaker 6 (29:10):
It's the NBA. The eighty two games plus playoffs is
a lot.
Speaker 5 (29:15):
And I think it mutes the impact of the regular season,
especially the games themselves. They're important to the people who go,
but not as important to the people who watch consume
the product in general.
Speaker 6 (29:30):
There's just so many of them.
Speaker 5 (29:32):
So I'm not sure exactly what Mark thinks the value
of another six or so games. I guess we're talking
about seven games, because I think the limit, the real
limit is somewhere around thirty three games or so.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
One thing that I've always thought made a lot of
sense cal Perry throughout the idea of playing games in August,
you could even I think, do it into July. To me,
there's just a before football ramps up there and as
the NBA playoffs wind down, there is a dead spot
on this sports calendar. And I just think about those
times Kentucky's played games in the Bahamas or Toronto, and
(30:08):
it was great fun for Kentucky fans to have those
games to follow four games six one time. And you know,
for all of college Pascal, I know, you wouldn't necessarily
have to, you know, to go to some well, you
could still keep that, you know, the nice locations every
four years. But let teams play a few games exhibition.
(30:29):
Maybe eventually if they morph into games that would count.
I don't know, but at least exhibition games. Couldn't that
be something they could get to.
Speaker 5 (30:36):
I think that would be great, especially in August, to
play exhibition games.
Speaker 6 (30:40):
I think it's good for the athletes to play those games.
Speaker 5 (30:43):
I think it's good for exposure and sort of as
a tease to the season.
Speaker 6 (30:48):
I think all that's great. I'm all for that.
Speaker 5 (30:51):
I'm not sure i'd prefer that they become regular season games,
especially since there would then be that big gap between
the heart of the regular season. Funny coaches complain about
now games in November and December. Cat This doesn't come
up much in the SEC where you get fourteen bits,
but it comes up a lot of the ACC where
they say, well, we're getting better, and why aren't you
(31:13):
counting our games in February as much as you count
all the games we lose in November. So if you
put those games in August and started counting them toward
NC Double A tournament inclusion, I'm not sure that their
mind's gould handle that shift.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
To the playoffs. The Thunder could close out Minnesota tonight
and Shay Gilges Alexander had forty in the game, three
win for OKC. How big of a surprise has he
been to you in terms of the level he's at
versus what you thought after his one year at Kentucky.
Speaker 6 (31:51):
Oh, I love I love them at Kentucky.
Speaker 5 (31:53):
But who would have imagined him becoming one of the
three or four best players in the NBA.
Speaker 6 (31:59):
I don't know even he imagined that. I suppose he
aspired to it, but.
Speaker 5 (32:04):
I'm not sure that when you're sitting there at Kentucky,
you're the thirty first ranked player in your high school
class and then had it tremendously successful first year and
then they pick you, I think eleventh in the draft.
I don't know at what point you start to say, Okay,
I'm better than everybody. I'm sure it happened somewhere along
the line. But what a remarkable development for him that
(32:27):
the course he's followed has been so impressive. He's I
think his year at Kentucky helped him a ton. I
think that experience in college basketball is underrated generally, but
the improvements he's continued to make since he got to OKC,
I don't know that I've seen much like it in
(32:49):
the American basketball path. I mean, Jokic was.
Speaker 6 (32:52):
On the Serbia team I think it was.
Speaker 5 (32:54):
In twenty fourteen around there that played the US in
the U twenties and there was a gold medal game
and I think he played like twenty minutes and then
he became the best player in the world.
Speaker 6 (33:06):
And so who you know.
Speaker 5 (33:07):
So I don't know anything about before or after though,
But Shaye, we saw at Kentucky and we saw a
really find prospect, but best player in the league, just phenomenal,
and it obviously took a lot of dedication and a
lot of strength, a lot of belief to get there.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
The story when he was here, I was told many
times about him doing the early morning workouts with assistant
coach Joel Justice at the time. I saw Joeld tweeting
about that recently, and you know, the simple formula. Even
a guy like Michael Jordan was renowned for how hard
he worked at his craft, and clearly that's been a
(33:46):
big part of why Shae has, you know, outperformed expectations.
You know, he was in the McDonald's game and those
kinds of things coming out of high school.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
But looking back, he certainly would be.
Speaker 5 (33:58):
You know, I I spend a few summers, a lot
of summers on the road covering the high school tournaments
and camps and that sort of thing. And every now
and then, often in Vegas, you'd be in a gym
and they'd say stick around, it's always gonna work out.
And so I saw Lebron go through one of those.
I saw Kevin Durant, and I just to me it
(34:22):
was like, how can you find the energy to go
this hard in the middle of July when you're that
wealthy and that successful.
Speaker 6 (34:31):
I'd never run out of admiration and amazement at how.
Speaker 5 (34:36):
Hard NBA players are willing to work to get better.
And I'm not just talking about the guys working to
try to stay in the league. I'm talking about the
guys who are all time legends and still want to
be better.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
Mike Courseisportingnews dot Com.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
Thank you, sir.
Speaker 6 (34:51):
All right, Thanks Tom following.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
The TSN MIC on X or Twitter if you prefer,
and he joins us on Wednesdays here on the Leads
Report of the club Bluelenile dot com online. We'll be
right back for our final segment of the Leach Report.
Let Chapari presented by Bob Kat Enterprises, and we mentioned
guys who had made the decision to come back to
(35:13):
college basketball out of the NBA draft mentioned I think
with Chris Fisher, Alex contin at Florida, Mackenzie Andbacco coming
back to Texas, A and M. There was Carter Knox
to Arkansas, Hubbard to Mississippi State. One more that was
a guy Kentucky was involved with, it's least in the
transfer portal period of recruiting and the name was associated
(35:35):
with Kentucky. I think also with Auburn, Yaxell Lindenberg ended
up picking Michigan, but every he thought he would stay
in the draft, but he has decided to come back
to college basketball and we'll play for Michigan next season.
Wild Cat History Notes each day a service of Kentucky
road show sports cards and memorabilia that's on Romney Road
here in Lexington and at roadshowcards dot Com. It's just
(35:56):
one birthday, Bob Brandham back in the forties, e Jenery
player for UK, was born on this day. Springtime is
still with us about them transition into summer. But if
you're looking to still shake off the winter gloom or
just the gloom from all the rain that we seem
to get, our friends at Cornbread Hemp can help you
(36:17):
us start fresh with their infused gummies to help you relax.
If you have achy joints, their bombs and lotions could
do the trick. And if you have trouble with sleep,
sleep gummies from corn Bread Hemp will do the trick.
They are amazingly successful and they will help you wake
up with that that melatone and hangover. All of their
products bad here in Kentucky with the highest quality relief
(36:40):
you can buy. It's Kentucky grown hemp one hundred percent
legal and made with the real THHC and organic ingredients,
no synthetics, and place your first order with cornbredhamp dot com.
Put in the code Tom at check out. You'll get
twenty percent off that first order cornbreadheimp dot com. This
is the good life. You know the guys in the
Blue Coats at uh Rapperina, Well, that's the Committee of
(37:02):
one oh one. It's an organization goes back to the
sixties supporting UK Athletics and they are accepting applications for
new members. You can email UK one oh one Membership
at gmail dot com and get details and figure out
how you can apply for the Committee of one oh one,
also known as the Blue Coats. It's an all volunteer group,
a great bunch of men and women who love the
(37:24):
Cats that will do it for us. We will see
you tomorrow on the Leads Report Radio Network
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