Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome in Stockyards Banks Sunday Morning Sports Talk. I'm Anthony
White along with Jack Pilgrim and Larry Vaught with this
new year's edition. Well the new Year two first, twenty
twenty six version of Sunday Morning Sports Talk coming to
you from Clark's Main Street Market Studios in Chili, Downtown, Lexington, Kentucky.
(00:24):
Good morning, Larry Vaught. How has two hotenty and twenty
six been for you thus far? Four days in?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Well, it's it's been okay. I closed twenty twenty five
in a nice way. You went down to the Smoky
Mountains stated in Mountain Resort with my family after Christmas,
one of my favorite places to be. Got to do
the go kart riding with them, took We got to
go to Dollywood, saw a couple of nice shows at
(00:52):
Ray and the hat Tel and McCoy and did a
few other little things down there and had a lot
of good family bonding time. And it started the new
year watching the UK women's basketball team pull a huge
upset and then we got to the weekend.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Uh oh, I think we're losing. Uh Larry, No, you
can't get to me.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
I meant, I just meant. We got to the UK
Man's basketball game. I know what to say, so I
don't want to say there so, but yeah, everything up
till Saturday was really good for me.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
I bet you Kenny Brooks and Tony Morgan, those are
Larry Vaughts and Larry Vaughts thought all alone huge upset.
Not a huge upset to me, is just a disappointment.
Probably the LSU fans. Larry Board, I cleared that up
for you.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
That's fine, Yeah, I mean that was what a finish.
I mean, I'm sitting there watching and thinking, what's Tony doing?
She just gonna dribble the eighteen seconds out now there?
And I sat I know Kenny's not overreacting. I think, wow,
good golly, they're just going to wait to the lights
man and throw it into track thrown, just pulls up
and buries it and runs back down court like no
big deal, good deal.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
U Bo Robinson. I know Larry Vass said he it
was at Dollywood. Wasn't Dolly in town this past week?
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Or is it coming up? Are you talking about Lexington
or Lexington? I think you are getting confused with the
Christmas production at the Lexington Opera House. It was a
Dolly part in Smoky Mountain Christmas, and she wasn't there,
not that I know of. I was gonna come back
in town for it. Good thing I didn't come back
(02:26):
in town.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
That would Uh well, Larry, you asked. Mine was pretty good.
Spend time with family. There was a huge tragedy and
before my family hit extremely hard the day after Christmas.
Won't get into that, but so we've been trying to
put pieces together after that. Other than that, it's always
(02:48):
great to spend time with family, you know, wrap arms
around my mind, and you know I spent it was
I will tell you it was teen degrees up there
the whole time. The I think the warranty guys maybe
twenty two degrees. So I do kind of embrace the frigidness.
I don't like, just the kind of cold and what
it was, just cold, like you couldn't fill your nose.
(03:08):
And apparently my mother told me you may know something
about this, Larry, that my foot went stiff because I
was outside with shoes and no socks on the shoveling snow.
And she said, I caught a cold in my foot.
Have you ever heard of anything.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
I have from my grandmother?
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Okay, So it is a real thing.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Well, I don't know. My grandmother believed it was. My
mother believed it was, which then I had to believe
it was. So there had never been any going outside
of the snow with upsocks at my house.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
So yeah, so it was good time spending time with family.
All my family are Ohio State fans, so I got
to watch them, uh you know, make excuses and call
each and every one of them two or three times
throughout my visit. So I enjoyed it pretty well. Uh bo, Now,
bo Jack Pilgrim, how has your twenty twenty six started
(04:06):
or how did your town twenty twenty five end? It ended?
Just just great.
Speaker 5 (04:12):
We appreciated the holidays and all the chaos and fun
and magic that came with it, and you know, appreciated
the kind of extended break you know from travel and
all that stuff with with the game. So then the
reality came crashing back, and twenty twenty six to start
this thing that well, it's the same, all the same,
(04:32):
all some Some of the you know fools goal that
we saw in the second half against Saint John's is
not necessarily a total game changer and a difference maker
going into twenty twenty six, and this team looked more,
you know, closer to the Michigan State, the Louisville, the
Gonzaga performances we saw in twenty twenty five, even at
(04:53):
full strength. So that was a very disappointing Saturday. The
drive back was long and irritated and just you're struggling
to come up with words to just explain this loss.
In the current state of Kentucky basketball, is the opposing
coach is kind of dunking on your head. Coach at
(05:13):
the podium kind of tapping him on the head like, Oh,
it's going to be okay. You know, a very very
similar vibe to when Coach cal would kind of do
the same thing with Mark Fox at the podium at Georgia,
explaining why he's so good the man for the job,
but why our program.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Is what it is at this stage.
Speaker 5 (05:32):
It just it was a little demoralized in going down
to Tuscaloosa. But hey, we made it back home safely
and we're ready to roll on the Sunday morning.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
I got two questions for you. First, first question is
is this Billy's third Christmas? Is he a vet or
is this his second?
Speaker 5 (05:47):
I think it is his third it's his. So he's
born in October of twenty three, So we got a
December twenty twenty three, December twenty twenty four, and in
December twenty twenty five, so right, two and a half
years old, but three Christmases.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, see that thought. And the other thing is I'm
watching you, guys. I'll follow you a little bit just
so I can see if I can make poke fun
at you for you know, messing up or something. But
you guys record rapid reaction after this at the stadium
is completely empty, does the opposing team leaves the light
song in the stadium for you all to record? Sure
they do.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
Yeah, It's it's funny. How accommodating every road venue we
go to, how welcome they are to the road media.
You know, sometimes we wish we felt the same way
at home at Rupperina, but hey, that's okay. But we
appreciate the fine kind folks at Coleman Polisea for keeping
(06:44):
the lights on for us.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
I appreciate it. Bo Robinson, we don't want to leave
you out before we get into the highs and lows
of twenty five and twenty six, how was your twenty
five twenty six transitions thus far. Four days in.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Well, Christmas was great. As I was going through December,
I kept saying, it's going to be a big December.
We had a lot of family stuff going on, my
mom's birthday and just various holiday activities. We had a
great Christmas. We were at an all time peak level
for the family on Christmas Day, and then all came
crashing down the following day my uncle passed away. So
(07:17):
we're still trying to just pick up the pieces from there.
And I don't want to say closure or move on,
but we're just trying to pull it all together best
we can. So I was telling Larry he was a
standout baseball player at Lafayette. He was a Navy veteran,
and I was in charge of putting together the tribute
video for the funeral on Friday, and I'm listening to
(07:38):
Darren Hendrick and it was great to hear his call
for UK women's basketball and LSU that night because it
gave me a little bit of a break to just
kind of get away. And I was so happy to
see Kentucky beat LSU on Thursday night. And then I
was telling Jack and Larry, I'm kind of glad to
get back to some normalcy here and seeing you walking
(07:58):
in the studio and talk to Jack and Larry and
unfortunately normalcy includes Kentucky basketball losing big games.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Well, prayers to the Robinson family. Thanks you interested that
because as a family member, is that's something that Lacy
would direct.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Not really, it was my uncle on my mom's side,
sell my aunt and cousin.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
That was their deal.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
That was the way they wanted it and things like that.
They handled those responsibilities.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Okay. Well again, prayers to your family. And that is
how Sunday Morning Sports Talks twenty five to twenty six
transition is gonna be see one on one side of
the board. Us there in Lexington are trying to put
some things together. Larry vaud is always even as as possible,
and we're gonna hear from Jack because I'm gonna assume
and I'm gonna assume that we got angry grumpy Jack back.
(08:49):
But Jack, what do you take from this? And it
was said in the post game and some of the
analysts were saying, especially on ESPN, and you've said it all.
If Jalen Lowe is going to give you as much
productions as he is can has he has Mark explained
why these guys that are so caught injured come off
(09:12):
the bench but almost play twenty seven almost thirty minutes.
What sense does it make if you're going to play
him the thirty minutes, just play him from the beginning.
Has that ever been expelled? Yeah? Are you still frustrating?
Speaker 6 (09:25):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (09:25):
I asked about it, and the answer I got is yes,
it's something we're always looking at. And just you know,
one of many of his short, pouty answers that he
gave both in his five minute press conference in the
four minutes you talk with just dear friend Tom Leech, who.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Just tries his best to.
Speaker 5 (09:44):
Pull and prod and get whatever he can out of
Pope with his two three word answers is super, super disappointing,
just hearing that back, and you know, Glove, you know,
just wish wish that there it was, you know, better
sport about it after the fact, and you know, we'll
just leave that that. But yes, we did try. And
(10:07):
asked about the starting lineup, and he said that he
actually was pleased with the first two minutes of the
game before they hit a wall, because they scored five
points on two free throws and an open made three
from Colin Chandler in that opening minute, and then they
didn't score another point for the next five minutes. Then
(10:27):
Jalen low came in the game at the fifteen minute
mark and that was that. So it didn't didn't get
a great explanation, but an explanation.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Nevertheless, Hey, Jack, did I see something last night online
that the lineup that we all wanted they were on
the court together for one minute.
Speaker 5 (10:48):
Yes, the one that willed Kentucky to victory in the
second half against Saint John's featuring you know, the Cam
Williams when he was kind of the game. Cam was
kind of one of the main variables in all of this,
including Jalen Lowe and Jaden Quainton's. But yeah, the group
that play the majority of the time and the double
(11:09):
digit second half comeback against Saint John's played one combined
minute in this one with it with Cam, he played
six minutes in the first half, took what got shot
one shot, and then the second half didn't play for
the first ten minutes. Let kins, I could get down
to twenty one in the first half and seventeen in
the second checked in down seventeen and was part of
(11:31):
that group that cut it down to single digits. But hey,
you can't spot teams twenty one points and expect miracle
comebacks every single time. Now, Ken, you can you We'll
talking about the Cats lost down to the Rolling tied
in Tuscaloosa eighty nine to seventy four. Jack, you look
at the starting lineup, Colin, Denzel, Otaga, Malachi and Muhammad.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
I'm not sure where the scoring is gonna come from.
You look at the bench, got Jaden Quainton's who's an racer,
Jalen low Cam even Jasper Johnson. All your points were
on the bench, and I guess I'm not certain if
he's I don't know. You think what would be your
thought process on you know, maybe the starting lineup is
just I don't know, Like I can't make me understand
(12:21):
why your starting lineup would not be somebody you intend
on coming out of the gate fast with.
Speaker 5 (12:28):
I had lots of conversations yesterday on the drive home
and shortly after the game and all that. And there
are even people very close to the team that wonder
the exact same question, and people that say, like, hey,
the five starters out there, many of them don't believe
that they're one of the five best players on the floor,
(12:50):
so they don't even know why they're starting over a
Jalen Lowe and a Jaden Quainton. So it's it's just
it feels like petty, almost on the cusp of like
you're just focused on playing mind games. Kind of the same,
you know, when it became such an uproar last in
coach Cal's last year, why are you not starting to read?
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Why are you not starting rop? Why are you not
starting to read?
Speaker 5 (13:12):
Like there's the constant talking point, and every time, you know,
Cal was asked about it, it was almost like a like,
I'm enjoying playing these mind games with you for asking
and kind of you know, just doing it out of spite,
you know, it just it kind of has that same
vibe where it's like, well, when he gave an actual
answer about not starting Jalen, he said some stuff about, well,
(13:35):
maybe it's to protect his shoulder and it doesn't put
him high enough on the scout. Maybe if he's not
the main focus for other teams, then you know, something
about protecting the integrity of who practices the most throughout
the week, just a bunch of just non answers that
don't add up and have no common sense to people
(13:56):
that are actually watching these games and know that twenty
seven minutes on the floor against an SEC team that's
actively trying to beat, you know, beat jailened up and
hit it at his shoulder and all that, Like he's
gonna take the bumps and bruises no matter when he's
on the floor, whether he's starting or not. So uh
natoaks had him at the top of the scouting report
where he was coming off the bench or not. Just
(14:18):
a really really disappointing answer among many disappointing answers.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
If you are listening, not all of twenty twenty six
was bad because our Kentucky wildcast did beat the LSU
Tigers down in Baton Rouge eighty to seventy eight, and
Larry Vault calls it an upset. I'm not upset. The
only people upset or the LSU Tigers. If you would
like to join the show eight five nine to eight
zero two two eight seven. That's eighty five nine to
eight zero cats. We will be back after this. You
are listening to Stockyards Bank Sunday Morning Sports Talk on
(14:45):
news radio six thirty w LAP.
Speaker 7 (14:47):
This is Stockyards Bank Sunday Morning Sports Talk presented by
the lead troop Boards Radio Network on six thirty w LAP.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Welcome back Stockyards Bank Sunday Morning Sport Talk about Anthony
White along with Jack Pilgrim and Larry Vaught. Stockyards Bank
has been a trusted partner since nineteen hundred and four,
So head on over to syb dot com for all
of your banking and financial needs talking. We do got
(15:17):
a little transfer a portal news. We're gonna talk a
little bit later because right now the hot topics, Sorry,
and I'm trying to juggle and decide between which is
the hotter topic, because I know Larry Vaught is giddy,
and I love giddy Larry Vaught. And also I kind
of like a heated Jack Pilgrim, but I feel sorry
for him because I know how much he loves these cats.
(15:39):
So I'm gonna stick with the men's for a little
a little bit longer than we'll transition over to talk
about the great things the ladies have done in twenty
twenty six after that, but Larry vall, I did want
to ask the things that Jack and I were talking
about as far as men's basketball and Mark Pope's I
don't want. I would hate to use word defeated to
(15:59):
describe an athlete or anybody in competition. Have you ever
I'm sure you have, but this quickly. Have you ever
seen someone change from you know, being such a basketball guru?
Have all the answers committed to excellence? Uh? Never, you know,
never waiver from the mission. Just so in tune and
(16:21):
ready to where we are now, where you know, searching
for answers. She went to search for answers a couple
of weeks ago to now not having any answers to,
as Jack Pilgrim so eloquently put it to, not even
giving any answers? Is that is that head scratching for you?
The turn that Mark Pope has taking a such a
short time.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Yeah, yeah it is. And I don't know if you
paid attention, but on before the game, even on Twitter
on X yesterday, I listened to Mark on the pregame
for on Network show with Tom and I thought he
sounded just depressed, dejected. I mean, that wasn't Mark Cope.
(17:00):
I was used to hearing even before a game, just
like it was really a I don't know, it's just
very very strange to me. No emotion and all. This
sounded like a guy that was searching even answer questions
before a game. And then his interview with Tom after
the game, especially at the end of it, was just
the bizarre. It was like, I don't know what to say,
(17:22):
it's not going to say anything. Let's just get out
of here and be done. This is a guy that
usually gives when he's in tune with everything. He's given
out those answers that have included words that have thirty
eight letters and all like that, and you're having to
look up and talking about all these things. But it
just seems like his passion and enjoy and enthusiasm it's
(17:43):
just drained out of him. Jack. Now maybe I'm looking
from Afar and I'm getting it wrong, but it just
seems like that he's just been beat down or just
feels beat down and doesn't really know what to do,
and it just lost kind of his mojo there.
Speaker 5 (18:00):
And I don't know, we got a short segments. I'll
try to keep it brief, but it does I think
you nailed it, Larry. It does give off a vibe
that he knows that this group is not what he
kind of thought he was signing up for and paying for,
and you know, he maybe had that realization, you know,
early in the process and realized that, you know, this,
(18:21):
this thing really isn't going to be what we all
hoped and dreamed it would it would become. So he's
kind of just having to get by and kind of
take his take his losses, and just kind of hope
and pray that something clicks for this group. But he
he presents himself like somebody who doesn't have the answers,
and that's why he doesn't want to give any answers.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
All of you on the hot line, we I don't
want to put you up against the break, So if
you can hold through the break, we will get you
when we come back. If you are not on the
hot line yet, there's still a couple of lines open
eight five nine to eight zero two to eight seven
eight five nine to eight zero. Cats. We are talking
about mainly Kentucky versus Alabama, the huge lost down in Tuscaloosa,
(19:03):
but there's also some good news because we went down
to Baton Rouge and knocked off a pretty good, I
should say a pretty good LSU team. So give us
a call so we can talk about those things on
Sunday Morning Sports Talk on news Radio six thirty WLAP.
Speaker 7 (19:18):
This is Stockyards Bank Sunday Morning Sports Talk, presented by
the lead Troop Barde Radio Network on six thirty WLAP.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Welcome back Stockyards Bank Sunday Morning Sports Talk. I'm Anthony White,
along with Jack Pilgrim and Larry Vaud. This hour of
Sunday Morning Sports Talk is brought to you by a
country boy Bruing, talking about defeated Mark Pope. It's too
early to be confeated. Defeated nine to fourteen, approximately halfway
(19:48):
through this season. So it's a little bit somedy worried about.
But I got a good feeling when we get off
to the phone line, things are gonna change for us.
Tom good morning. What do you got for Usthony?
Speaker 6 (20:00):
I got two things for you. Oh One. During the
ball game yesterday during the second half, the Alabama player
was well out of bounds, called a time out in
the air, and I thought they changed that rule. In fact,
I know they changed it, and you google it. But
now your screener tells me that they mentioned on the
air that that rule changed back. Do you all know
(20:22):
anything about that?
Speaker 1 (20:24):
I do not, Jack, or I was just as confused
in real time. Yeah, I.
Speaker 5 (20:33):
Had the exact same thought that went through my mind.
I didn't think it was legal, but our friend Joe
Lindsay with the officiating crew clearly thought otherwise. So I disagree,
disagreed with it wholeheardly as well.
Speaker 6 (20:45):
Okay, well I agree with that. Another thing I wanted
to say. If anybody hadn't been watching our women play basketball,
they're missing out on a real treat. These girls are good.
They're more fun to watch than the men, to be
honest with you, and they play again today. They played
with today at noon. It's on the SEC network and
if you if you've got nothing better to do, you
should watch it.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Okay, Tom, let me ask you a question. Are you asking?
Are you a UK fan? Like just all around, I'm
kind of trying to get a tally of how many
people just are fan of one sport. They can care
less about each other. Because you're absolutely right, if you
are a UK fan, there's plenty to be happy about.
Speaker 6 (21:23):
No, I'm a UK fan for sure.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
Now.
Speaker 6 (21:25):
I kind of got I got out of sync with
football with Mark Stoops because I was not a Mark
Stoops fan. I thought he was well overrated, And I've
just thought during his tenure when he was winning all
those games, that the teams he was playing in the
conference weren't that good. If you go back and look
at the record Missouri, South Carolina, Florida, all those teams
(21:46):
went in the tank and that's the only time he
was beating them. So anyway, but I am a UK fan.
I had football tickets at stall Field, so I've been
following them a long time.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
Well, I appreciate the call, Tom, Thank you, h Jack.
Before we get back to the phone lines, I did
want to get your response to a kind of the
Mark Pope where he's at. Do you think it's fixable
or is it a product of the nil deal where
you know these guys have promised so much. Maybe your
roster is put together because we know we're going to
(22:18):
get the best player at disposition. We're gonna get the
best player at this disposition, whether they can manufacture points or not,
because we have good athletes on the court, and Alabama
always has good athletes. Some of them just can shoot
and some of them can do other things. But it
seemed like we have really good athletes, but not a
whole lot of basketball players. Maybe Jalen Lowe's a basketball player,
(22:40):
Cam is between both Jasper. But other than that, you
got a lot of guys who just are athletes but
don't have high basketball i q's, or you know, can't
process the game fast enough, and that may frustrate Mark.
But you've been saying for a couple of weeks Mark
needs to do away with the analytics, and I guess
maybe play AA you ball, just rolled the ball out
(23:01):
and let those guys play the way they're most comfortable,
because you putting the harness around them and trying to
build structure for these guys seem to frustrate them more,
which your return is frustrating you, and return frustrating the
fan base, which can lead to a short tenure.
Speaker 5 (23:16):
I think there's a lot of truth to all that,
and I think that's one of the main issues right
now is he also has no recruiting base to kind
of hang his hat on, to kind of build optimism
for the future, to you know, the way coach cal
would you know whether a season was going as well
as he wanted or as poorly as he you know,
didn't want, he at least had well, hey, we at
(23:37):
least got the.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Number one recruiting class coming in next year. I mean
I remember, I remember sitting.
Speaker 5 (23:41):
At the podium after that Oakland loss, and he started
talking about this next next recruiting class, which ironically included
Jaden Quaintans.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
And some of the guys that he currently has. Just
it was it was just.
Speaker 5 (23:56):
Fascinating to see just kind of like there was always
something to hang on and the fan base at the
end of that and you know, hearing him at the
podium after Oakland go all right, I can't do this anymore.
I can't get excited for the next group when this
group continues to underperform. Pope doesn't even have that, like
he hasn't proven that he can land you know, a
(24:16):
surefire top of the top five star that's not from
Lexington or Georgetown or Harlan County or go down the list.
So like there's a there's there's a little bit of
a worry that, hey, how are you going to recruit
some of these kids? What what is going to be
the pitch to a donors this next cycle. You funded
a twenty two million dollar roster basically like hey, you
(24:37):
got lightning in a bottle in year one. We loved
everything that unfolded in year one. Here's all the money
you could possibly dream of to build the roster that
that you can win a national championship with. And this
is the product he put on the floor. And that
kind of goes back to just how yesterday unfolded it
was there, there's there. It was the same old, same
all with your full full roster, like there's no uses
(25:00):
anymore to hang your you know, fall back on for
you know, Patino giving us a nice little talking to
after Saint John's for you you can't see the full
product until you see the entire roster, was like, okay, well,
now we do have the full roster, and it's the
exact same garbage that we saw in some of those
early matchups. So he doesn't have a winning product on
the floor right now with the blank check roster. He
(25:22):
doesn't have any high school recruits signed for this up
this upcoming cycle, And how is he going to convince,
you know, the next portal class that that they're going
to come in and fix what this last year's group
did while also acknowledging that they're going to have to
overpay for a lot of these guys because he set
the market at you know, over paying a premium for
every single one of these guys. So he's really just
(25:44):
a really really bad no man's land of He's it
doesn't really have anything to be excited for for next year.
He kind of has to figure this group out. And
I again, I don't I don't know where that comes from.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
Quick, give me quick answering. We got to get to
the phone. Quick answer. I've listened to what you just said,
and I'm with you. So I'm kind of confused because
I didn't have pay to play, but you're saying he
does have a roster. How are you gonna convince Can
the University of Kentucky, Jersey and fat paycheck convince a
player to come here? Or are there still people who
(26:18):
want to win a national championship? Sure, but are those.
Speaker 5 (26:23):
Same donors that that gave two million dollars last cycle
going to be willing to say, here's another twenty two
million dollars to fix your last screw up.
Speaker 4 (26:32):
No, of course not.
Speaker 5 (26:33):
They're gonna say, I didn't get any return on my investment.
I didn't even get a fun, watchable product. Your your
product is boring. I mean, this is this is a
a John Caliperry offense without the John Caliperry talent like
it is, it is a boring product to watch, and
they're losing basketball games while being overpaid. So like there's
there's there's nothing that would make a donor look at
(26:55):
this product and go, yeah, you know what, I want
to reinvest. I want to double double down and put
more money. I like, how about let's build a thirty
million dollar roster next No, they're gonna look at it
and go, no, you had your chance.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
I'm gonna go.
Speaker 5 (27:06):
Spend my money on will Stein's feeding the studs. So no,
I I that's that is absolutely the problem. Sure, you
can always overspend for somebody, but if you don't get
it right in your first kind of blank check, I
mean we could probably say the same about will Stein
and his first cycle with you know, recruiting the Sam
Levitt of the world and these hot shot you know,
(27:28):
Texas receivers and all that stuff out out of the portal,
Like yeah, he's he's he's got some stuff humming. But
you know, if you're if you're going to build the
New York Yankees of college football, college basketball, whatever, you know,
you gotta kind of make it worth the while for
the donors, so or else you're gonna you're gonna make
them angry. So they're technically yes, but man, I have
(27:49):
a hard time seeing.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
A path to that. Absolutely, that's Jack Pickle. Let's get
to the phone lines and see what John Short has
to say. Good morning, John Short, Welcome to twenty twenty
six Sunday Morning Sports Talk.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
Good morning, have any of years?
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Happy New Year's too, too?
Speaker 4 (28:04):
Hey, thank you? That was the again. As you go about,
like meet Missouri my fifteen bigginess once tonight, we're gonna
win today. We reserved to have a fifteen Biggs and
women's basketball.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Fifteen Biggins after they be lsu and and Mochy and
those that crew. I don't know. I'm I might get
you to fifteen Biggs, Larry, would you would you go
to the would you go to the books on fifteen Biggins? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (28:28):
I like I like it. I don't think we're have
any let down. I think if we're gonna pour it
home today anything think they're gonna pour it off.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Are you coming to Memorial I'm assuming you're not because
you're on the air.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Yes, I am coming to the world.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Go ahead, John, I said.
Speaker 4 (28:43):
Go on, I'll go look till on the ready to
hear and watch it on TV. Turn and stand down TV.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
And here you're gonna watch the SEC network, right John,
that's right at twelve pm. That's why Bo's gonna let
me heurt early enough so I can drive home and
get home to watch it.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
Believe we'll win in I live with resprised to found
four because I found four.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
Predictions Women's and man's basketball every year Kentucky Vandonville, Georgia,
Alabama sings speak every.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Year, and boys and girls, you're saying yes, even Jack,
as optimistic as Jack is, he don't even buy that.
Speaker 4 (29:21):
And then for the Collors World, serious, I paid the
same teams and then it says thank you. Van College
says okay, Aubury and section line MISSIEK means to safe
pay those same teams every year.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
To you, John Short, We're gonna hold you to that.
That's the best news we've heard in twenty twenty six
thus far, besides the unless you win. We appreciate the call,
John Short to a great American. Let's let's stay with
the phone lines and see what Larry has to say.
Good morning, Larry, what do you got for us.
Speaker 4 (29:47):
I got a lot for it. Hey, guys, I got
a lot for you. You know, first of all, Kenny Brooks,
he's the best women's coach, dog Grave Higres. I mean,
I like, I like the guy, like that Toude. He
takes his place, he knows what he wants to recruit,
and he the guy just coaches kids up. I mean,
maybe they'll be the best and worst of them, but
(30:08):
he done what I been hard and for over years.
Bring fives in five. You know you can't play five.
But anyway, as far as the before I get one,
I'm ry anks this question about the quarterback? We're going
to give him one from Arizona State? Can you hear me?
Speaker 1 (30:26):
Larry Vaught, I'm.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Sorry I cut out on me. I couldn't hear there.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
He said, are we going to get a quarterback from
Arizona State?
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Well, there would be some indications of that that he
visited Kentucky as his sentence to transfer a portal officially opened.
But now he's gone to Texas Tech and they might
have a little money out there, so we will see
a visit doesn't This doesn't always mean a commitment when
they leave with that committee. I think sometimes you have
to wonder, but if those figures of up to four
(31:00):
million dollars that you're hearing about to pay a quarterback,
that's a lot of money. He'd better really, really really
delivered to go give you that kind of cash.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
And one thing I will add.
Speaker 5 (31:11):
As well, Larry, one thing I'll add as well. We
had something very similar with Devin Leary when he was
kind of the hot shot portal name a couple of
years back. He visited Kentucky very similar like, oh, Kentucky
found its guy.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
They they have the inside track on landing him.
Speaker 5 (31:29):
And then he left campus and made it to Auburn
for his for his next visit, kind of the exact
same timeline unfolded and everybody kind of thought, oh man,
how did we fumble this one? And then he'd ended
up committing like a day later to Kentucky. So if
it could be a leverage play as well, to make
sure that the numbers are where the agent wants.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
It to be.
Speaker 5 (31:50):
But I do think Kentucky has the highest offer right
now for in my opinion, the best best quarterback in
the portal, maybe the best player overall in the portal.
So he would be an absolute home run if Stein
can pull it off.
Speaker 4 (32:02):
Yeah. Well anyway, on Tugy basketball, you know they always
said to Tugy basketball was like Alabama football.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
You know, it's probably true.
Speaker 4 (32:09):
They could we boasts up. I mean they're Alabama and
fans w they got to be they got to be
peeed off, you know. But you know Kentucky, I mean
I've watched it there State guys and you know Mark Pope,
I mean the guy, you know b YU. Look where
they're at right now, so when Pope's are he's never
been ready to high. I watched the b WHYU a lot,
and I'm amazed with him what they've done. They got
(32:31):
one great player and they actually went some pretty good games.
I mean, we looked like a bunch of forger you know,
running on We just don't even know where we're at.
It's just amazing our big guys. You know, if they
don't get a laft or dunk, they can't choose. I mean,
it's a big problem there. Wat I'm just give him
one more time. But he was kind of disappointing or
stay he It's like everybody was just they got behind me, Okay,
(32:53):
it's all over. And it seemed like no energy and
Mark Pope. You know what I'm gonna tell you, guys,
if this guy doesn't next year, I mean, the guy
probably has to go. I like Mark, but nice guys
always finished last. I'll tell you what if he gets fired,
I will say this, he is so investing in Tucky basketball.
I believe they'll destroyed his career. I mean, I mean,
(33:13):
the guy can't and recruiting guys. We ain't gotten. We
didn't have nobody to come in next year. Have you
ever heard of that for Tucky basketball?
Speaker 1 (33:20):
Don't beat Thank you for the call, Larry. We got
to get moving along. I will say this, And Larry's
pretty pretty consistent over the years calling into this show,
you know. And I'm probably gonna talk about this a
little bit later in the show with Jack and Jack
and Larry. But the idea that we were up on Pope,
(33:43):
we get up on a coach because there were things
said on the show or said to me on social
media about the volleyball team losing and I was too
optimistic and I shouldn't have That's the dumbest crap I've
ever heard. That I'm too optimistic, which is fine, but
I don't like the idea that if are for our
football program. Before Mark Stoops left, it was championship or
(34:05):
bus if we can win championship. But we're not trajectory.
And this is not just Larry the caller, This is
I hear this from a lot of people, not all
the sensible listeners or the sensible fans, but there's always
that well, we can't if you're not compete for championships,
for what are you doing? It's only one team that
wins the championship every year. But the other side of
is if this team doesn't look like they can win
a championship, he needs to be fired. That is not
(34:26):
a good place to live in as a fan base.
We'll be back after this year. Listening to Stockyards Bank
Sunday when the sports talk on news radio six thirty WLAP.
Speaker 7 (34:34):
This is Stockyards Bank Sunday Mornings sports Talk presented by
the lead Troop Boards Radio Network on six thirty WLAP.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Jack Pilgrim. I did want to ask then I got
one question for Larry Vault before we hit the break
new gonna transition to women's basketball. But Jack Pilgrim, do
you think if Holloway or fi Line doesn't have such
an impact on the game. You know, just those daggers
left and right all game long. You think we can
get into a rhythm or get into a groove or
(35:04):
this team just wasn't into it at all because Halloway.
I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. I
don't know if Gary Payton could have done anything with them.
Speaker 5 (35:15):
They were number one and number two on the scouting report.
That was kind of the that was kind of the frustration.
It was, how do you let these two people and
like all across the board, it's just, hey, this team
is going to fire away once they crossed the half court,
they are going to fire away at as far away
as thirty five feet. Be prepared, get a hand up,
(35:36):
get make sure you're prepared. And how they were left
open on so many wide open catch and shoot looks.
How they found so much open space to do what
they do best.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
I mean, they.
Speaker 5 (35:49):
Hit the third most three pointers in college basketball going
into the game and took the most three pointers in
college basketball going into this game, So that was priority
number one. So going under on screen and some of
just the egregious, Like I don't know if it was
a poor it was poor execution or poor game planning
and scouting above all else. It was just an absolute
failure to slow down the thing that they do absolute best.
(36:13):
But that is just game, and that's just the part.
For the course with Alabama, they're going to torch you.
You were gonna lose the three point battle. It was
not just kind of staying at arms reach, and they
weren't able to do that, and you know.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
That was a failure.
Speaker 5 (36:25):
But the biggest failure was, you know, there was a
real advantage on the glass, especially when they were without
tailor ball beelling to start the game. And then Aiden
Cherrell went down with an injury nine minutes in and
they had to start Noel Williamson, who was averaging one
point one points per game going into this, and played
eighteen minutes and you got out rebounded by a super
(36:48):
thin front court when you had were at total full
strength with JQ and everybody.
Speaker 1 (36:53):
So that was a massive, massive, massive.
Speaker 5 (36:55):
Disappointment and probably the biggest failure of the game in
my opinion. But also just the inability to score against
one of the worst Power conference defenses in college basketball.
That was, you know, just kind of an all system
failure unfortunately.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
And Larry, do you think because of what Larry said,
and caler, Larry, I'm going to give you credit. Caler
Larry said, No matter whatever happens, Mark Pope has been
committed and dedicated to this job in this university and
that cannot go denied. But Larry Vaud, do you think
in the background Mark Pope is somewhere scratching his head
thinking do you think he's regretting taking this job first
for some of the reasons that Kler Larry from Lebanon said.
(37:30):
You know, you look at BYU now thirteen to one
without Pope, and Pope is over here struggling with the
highest paid roster one of the blue blood universities, and
you know, with his football with his football knowledge and IQ,
I mean basketball knowledge and IQ. You think he's regretting
it because if it continues this direction, people are going
to pick him apart, especially our fan base.
Speaker 2 (37:52):
No, I don't think he's regretting it. I think he's
probably regretting how this season is going. But I think
he's still delighted to be as Kentucky. But again, he's
got to start. I mean, in the last thirty nine games,
they've now been trailed by twenty points eight of those times,
and I think now I have what I see I
(38:14):
remember note try and finding here like twelve or fifteen
double duty losses in the last thirty nine games. That's
just a pitiful trend.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
Winning cares everything. You know, who wins, Kenny Brooks and
our lady Cats. And we'll talk about that when we
come back. You're listening to Stockyards Back Sunday morning sports
talk on news radio six thirty WLAP.
Welcome in Stockyards Banks Sunday Morning Sports Talk. I'm Anthony
White along with Jack Pilgrim and Larry Vaught with this
new year's edition. Well the new Year two first, twenty
twenty six version of Sunday Morning Sports Talk coming to
you from Clark's Main Street Market Studios in Chili, Downtown, Lexington, Kentucky.
(00:24):
Good morning, Larry Vaught. How has two hotenty and twenty
six been for you thus far? Four days in?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Well, it's it's been okay. I closed twenty twenty five
in a nice way. You went down to the Smoky
Mountains stated in Mountain Resort with my family after Christmas,
one of my favorite places to be. Got to do
the go kart riding with them, took We got to
go to Dollywood, saw a couple of nice shows at
(00:52):
Ray and the hat Tel and McCoy and did a
few other little things down there and had a lot
of good family bonding time. And it started the new
year watching the UK women's basketball team pull a huge
upset and then we got to the weekend.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Uh oh, I think we're losing. Uh Larry, No, you
can't get to me.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
I meant, I just meant. We got to the UK
Man's basketball game. I know what to say, so I
don't want to say there so, but yeah, everything up
till Saturday was really good for me.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
I bet you Kenny Brooks and Tony Morgan, those are
Larry Vaughts and Larry Vaughts thought all alone huge upset.
Not a huge upset to me, is just a disappointment.
Probably the LSU fans. Larry Board, I cleared that up
for you.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
That's fine, Yeah, I mean that was what a finish.
I mean, I'm sitting there watching and thinking, what's Tony doing?
She just gonna dribble the eighteen seconds out now there?
And I sat I know Kenny's not overreacting. I think, wow,
good golly, they're just going to wait to the lights
man and throw it into track thrown, just pulls up
and buries it and runs back down court like no
big deal, good deal.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
U Bo Robinson. I know Larry Vass said he it
was at Dollywood. Wasn't Dolly in town this past week?
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Or is it coming up? Are you talking about Lexington
or Lexington? I think you are getting confused with the
Christmas production at the Lexington Opera House. It was a
Dolly part in Smoky Mountain Christmas, and she wasn't there,
not that I know of. I was gonna come back
in town for it. Good thing I didn't come back
(02:26):
in town.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
That would Uh well, Larry, you asked. Mine was pretty good.
Spend time with family. There was a huge tragedy and
before my family hit extremely hard the day after Christmas.
Won't get into that, but so we've been trying to
put pieces together after that. Other than that, it's always
(02:48):
great to spend time with family, you know, wrap arms
around my mind, and you know I spent it was
I will tell you it was teen degrees up there
the whole time. The I think the warranty guys maybe
twenty two degrees. So I do kind of embrace the frigidness.
I don't like, just the kind of cold and what
it was, just cold, like you couldn't fill your nose.
(03:08):
And apparently my mother told me you may know something
about this, Larry, that my foot went stiff because I
was outside with shoes and no socks on the shoveling snow.
And she said, I caught a cold in my foot.
Have you ever heard of anything.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
I have from my grandmother?
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Okay, So it is a real thing.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Well, I don't know. My grandmother believed it was. My
mother believed it was, which then I had to believe
it was. So there had never been any going outside
of the snow with upsocks at my house.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
So yeah, so it was good time spending time with family.
All my family are Ohio State fans, so I got
to watch them, uh you know, make excuses and call
each and every one of them two or three times
throughout my visit. So I enjoyed it pretty well. Uh bo, Now,
bo Jack Pilgrim, how has your twenty twenty six started
(04:06):
or how did your town twenty twenty five end? It ended?
Just just great.
Speaker 5 (04:12):
We appreciated the holidays and all the chaos and fun
and magic that came with it, and you know, appreciated
the kind of extended break you know from travel and
all that stuff with with the game. So then the
reality came crashing back, and twenty twenty six to start
this thing that well, it's the same, all the same,
(04:32):
all some Some of the you know fools goal that
we saw in the second half against Saint John's is
not necessarily a total game changer and a difference maker
going into twenty twenty six, and this team looked more,
you know, closer to the Michigan State, the Louisville, the
Gonzaga performances we saw in twenty twenty five, even at
(04:53):
full strength. So that was a very disappointing Saturday. The
drive back was long and irritated and just you're struggling
to come up with words to just explain this loss.
In the current state of Kentucky basketball, is the opposing
coach is kind of dunking on your head. Coach at
(05:13):
the podium kind of tapping him on the head like, Oh,
it's going to be okay. You know, a very very
similar vibe to when Coach cal would kind of do
the same thing with Mark Fox at the podium at Georgia,
explaining why he's so good the man for the job,
but why our program.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Is what it is at this stage.
Speaker 5 (05:32):
It just it was a little demoralized in going down
to Tuscaloosa. But hey, we made it back home safely
and we're ready to roll on the Sunday morning.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
I got two questions for you. First, first question is
is this Billy's third Christmas? Is he a vet or
is this his second?
Speaker 5 (05:47):
I think it is his third it's his. So he's
born in October of twenty three, So we got a
December twenty twenty three, December twenty twenty four, and in
December twenty twenty five, so right, two and a half
years old, but three Christmases.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, see that thought. And the other thing is I'm
watching you, guys. I'll follow you a little bit just
so I can see if I can make poke fun
at you for you know, messing up or something. But
you guys record rapid reaction after this at the stadium
is completely empty, does the opposing team leaves the light
song in the stadium for you all to record? Sure
they do.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
Yeah, It's it's funny. How accommodating every road venue we
go to, how welcome they are to the road media.
You know, sometimes we wish we felt the same way
at home at Rupperina, but hey, that's okay. But we
appreciate the fine kind folks at Coleman Polisea for keeping
(06:44):
the lights on for us.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
I appreciate it. Bo Robinson, we don't want to leave
you out before we get into the highs and lows
of twenty five and twenty six, how was your twenty
five twenty six transitions thus far. Four days in.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Well, Christmas was great. As I was going through December,
I kept saying, it's going to be a big December.
We had a lot of family stuff going on, my
mom's birthday and just various holiday activities. We had a
great Christmas. We were at an all time peak level
for the family on Christmas Day, and then all came
crashing down the following day my uncle passed away. So
(07:17):
we're still trying to just pick up the pieces from there.
And I don't want to say closure or move on,
but we're just trying to pull it all together best
we can. So I was telling Larry he was a
standout baseball player at Lafayette. He was a Navy veteran,
and I was in charge of putting together the tribute
video for the funeral on Friday, and I'm listening to
(07:38):
Darren Hendrick and it was great to hear his call
for UK women's basketball and LSU that night because it
gave me a little bit of a break to just
kind of get away. And I was so happy to
see Kentucky beat LSU on Thursday night. And then I
was telling Jack and Larry, I'm kind of glad to
get back to some normalcy here and seeing you walking
(07:58):
in the studio and talk to Jack and Larry and
unfortunately normalcy includes Kentucky basketball losing big games.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Well, prayers to the Robinson family. Thanks you interested that
because as a family member, is that's something that Lacy
would direct.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Not really, it was my uncle on my mom's side,
sell my aunt and cousin.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
That was their deal.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
That was the way they wanted it and things like that.
They handled those responsibilities.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Okay. Well again, prayers to your family. And that is
how Sunday Morning Sports Talks twenty five to twenty six
transition is gonna be see one on one side of
the board. Us there in Lexington are trying to put
some things together. Larry vaud is always even as as possible,
and we're gonna hear from Jack because I'm gonna assume
and I'm gonna assume that we got angry grumpy Jack back.
(08:49):
But Jack, what do you take from this? And it
was said in the post game and some of the
analysts were saying, especially on ESPN, and you've said it all.
If Jalen Lowe is going to give you as much
productions as he is can has he has Mark explained
why these guys that are so caught injured come off
(09:12):
the bench but almost play twenty seven almost thirty minutes.
What sense does it make if you're going to play
him the thirty minutes, just play him from the beginning.
Has that ever been expelled? Yeah? Are you still frustrating?
Speaker 6 (09:25):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (09:25):
I asked about it, and the answer I got is yes,
it's something we're always looking at. And just you know,
one of many of his short, pouty answers that he
gave both in his five minute press conference in the
four minutes you talk with just dear friend Tom Leech, who.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Just tries his best to.
Speaker 5 (09:44):
Pull and prod and get whatever he can out of
Pope with his two three word answers is super, super disappointing,
just hearing that back, and you know, Glove, you know,
just wish wish that there it was, you know, better
sport about it after the fact, and you know, we'll
just leave that that. But yes, we did try. And
(10:07):
asked about the starting lineup, and he said that he
actually was pleased with the first two minutes of the
game before they hit a wall, because they scored five
points on two free throws and an open made three
from Colin Chandler in that opening minute, and then they
didn't score another point for the next five minutes. Then
(10:27):
Jalen low came in the game at the fifteen minute
mark and that was that. So it didn't didn't get
a great explanation, but an explanation.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Nevertheless, Hey, Jack, did I see something last night online
that the lineup that we all wanted they were on
the court together for one minute.
Speaker 5 (10:48):
Yes, the one that willed Kentucky to victory in the
second half against Saint John's featuring you know, the Cam
Williams when he was kind of the game. Cam was
kind of one of the main variables in all of this,
including Jalen Lowe and Jaden Quainton's. But yeah, the group
that play the majority of the time and the double
(11:09):
digit second half comeback against Saint John's played one combined
minute in this one with it with Cam, he played
six minutes in the first half, took what got shot
one shot, and then the second half didn't play for
the first ten minutes. Let kins, I could get down
to twenty one in the first half and seventeen in
the second checked in down seventeen and was part of
(11:31):
that group that cut it down to single digits. But hey,
you can't spot teams twenty one points and expect miracle
comebacks every single time. Now, Ken, you can you We'll
talking about the Cats lost down to the Rolling tied
in Tuscaloosa eighty nine to seventy four. Jack, you look
at the starting lineup, Colin, Denzel, Otaga, Malachi and Muhammad.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
I'm not sure where the scoring is gonna come from.
You look at the bench, got Jaden Quainton's who's an racer,
Jalen low Cam even Jasper Johnson. All your points were
on the bench, and I guess I'm not certain if
he's I don't know. You think what would be your
thought process on you know, maybe the starting lineup is
just I don't know, Like I can't make me understand
(12:21):
why your starting lineup would not be somebody you intend
on coming out of the gate fast with.
Speaker 5 (12:28):
I had lots of conversations yesterday on the drive home
and shortly after the game and all that. And there
are even people very close to the team that wonder
the exact same question, and people that say, like, hey,
the five starters out there, many of them don't believe
that they're one of the five best players on the floor,
(12:50):
so they don't even know why they're starting over a
Jalen Lowe and a Jaden Quainton. So it's it's just
it feels like petty, almost on the cusp of like
you're just focused on playing mind games. Kind of the same,
you know, when it became such an uproar last in
coach Cal's last year, why are you not starting to read?
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Why are you not starting rop? Why are you not
starting to read?
Speaker 5 (13:12):
Like there's the constant talking point, and every time, you know,
Cal was asked about it, it was almost like a like,
I'm enjoying playing these mind games with you for asking
and kind of you know, just doing it out of spite,
you know, it just it kind of has that same
vibe where it's like, well, when he gave an actual
answer about not starting Jalen, he said some stuff about, well,
(13:35):
maybe it's to protect his shoulder and it doesn't put
him high enough on the scout. Maybe if he's not
the main focus for other teams, then you know, something
about protecting the integrity of who practices the most throughout
the week, just a bunch of just non answers that
don't add up and have no common sense to people
(13:56):
that are actually watching these games and know that twenty
seven minutes on the floor against an SEC team that's
actively trying to beat, you know, beat jailened up and
hit it at his shoulder and all that, Like he's
gonna take the bumps and bruises no matter when he's
on the floor, whether he's starting or not. So uh
natoaks had him at the top of the scouting report
where he was coming off the bench or not. Just
(14:18):
a really really disappointing answer among many disappointing answers.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
If you are listening, not all of twenty twenty six
was bad because our Kentucky wildcast did beat the LSU
Tigers down in Baton Rouge eighty to seventy eight, and
Larry Vault calls it an upset. I'm not upset. The
only people upset or the LSU Tigers. If you would
like to join the show eight five nine to eight
zero two two eight seven. That's eighty five nine to
eight zero cats. We will be back after this. You
are listening to Stockyards Bank Sunday Morning Sports Talk on
(14:45):
news radio six thirty w LAP.
Speaker 7 (14:47):
This is Stockyards Bank Sunday Morning Sports Talk presented by
the lead troop Boards Radio Network on six thirty w LAP.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Welcome back Stockyards Bank Sunday Morning Sport Talk about Anthony
White along with Jack Pilgrim and Larry Vaught. Stockyards Bank
has been a trusted partner since nineteen hundred and four,
So head on over to syb dot com for all
of your banking and financial needs talking. We do got
(15:17):
a little transfer a portal news. We're gonna talk a
little bit later because right now the hot topics, Sorry,
and I'm trying to juggle and decide between which is
the hotter topic, because I know Larry Vaught is giddy,
and I love giddy Larry Vaught. And also I kind
of like a heated Jack Pilgrim, but I feel sorry
for him because I know how much he loves these cats.
(15:39):
So I'm gonna stick with the men's for a little
a little bit longer than we'll transition over to talk
about the great things the ladies have done in twenty
twenty six after that, but Larry vall, I did want
to ask the things that Jack and I were talking
about as far as men's basketball and Mark Pope's I
don't want. I would hate to use word defeated to
(15:59):
describe an athlete or anybody in competition. Have you ever
I'm sure you have, but this quickly. Have you ever
seen someone change from you know, being such a basketball guru?
Have all the answers committed to excellence? Uh? Never, you know,
never waiver from the mission. Just so in tune and
(16:21):
ready to where we are now, where you know, searching
for answers. She went to search for answers a couple
of weeks ago to now not having any answers to,
as Jack Pilgrim so eloquently put it to, not even
giving any answers? Is that is that head scratching for you?
The turn that Mark Pope has taking a such a
short time.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Yeah, yeah it is. And I don't know if you
paid attention, but on before the game, even on Twitter
on X yesterday, I listened to Mark on the pregame
for on Network show with Tom and I thought he
sounded just depressed, dejected. I mean, that wasn't Mark Cope.
(17:00):
I was used to hearing even before a game, just
like it was really a I don't know, it's just
very very strange to me. No emotion and all. This
sounded like a guy that was searching even answer questions
before a game. And then his interview with Tom after
the game, especially at the end of it, was just
the bizarre. It was like, I don't know what to say,
(17:22):
it's not going to say anything. Let's just get out
of here and be done. This is a guy that
usually gives when he's in tune with everything. He's given
out those answers that have included words that have thirty
eight letters and all like that, and you're having to
look up and talking about all these things. But it
just seems like his passion and enjoy and enthusiasm it's
(17:43):
just drained out of him. Jack. Now maybe I'm looking
from Afar and I'm getting it wrong, but it just
seems like that he's just been beat down or just
feels beat down and doesn't really know what to do,
and it just lost kind of his mojo there.
Speaker 5 (18:00):
And I don't know, we got a short segments. I'll
try to keep it brief, but it does I think
you nailed it, Larry. It does give off a vibe
that he knows that this group is not what he
kind of thought he was signing up for and paying for,
and you know, he maybe had that realization, you know,
early in the process and realized that, you know, this,
(18:21):
this thing really isn't going to be what we all
hoped and dreamed it would it would become. So he's
kind of just having to get by and kind of
take his take his losses, and just kind of hope
and pray that something clicks for this group. But he
he presents himself like somebody who doesn't have the answers,
and that's why he doesn't want to give any answers.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
All of you on the hot line, we I don't
want to put you up against the break, So if
you can hold through the break, we will get you
when we come back. If you are not on the
hot line yet, there's still a couple of lines open
eight five nine to eight zero two to eight seven
eight five nine to eight zero. Cats. We are talking
about mainly Kentucky versus Alabama, the huge lost down in Tuscaloosa,
(19:03):
but there's also some good news because we went down
to Baton Rouge and knocked off a pretty good, I
should say a pretty good LSU team. So give us
a call so we can talk about those things on
Sunday Morning Sports Talk on news Radio six thirty WLAP.
Speaker 7 (19:18):
This is Stockyards Bank Sunday Morning Sports Talk, presented by
the lead Troop Barde Radio Network on six thirty WLAP.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Welcome back Stockyards Bank Sunday Morning Sports Talk. I'm Anthony White,
along with Jack Pilgrim and Larry Vaud. This hour of
Sunday Morning Sports Talk is brought to you by a
country boy Bruing, talking about defeated Mark Pope. It's too
early to be confeated. Defeated nine to fourteen, approximately halfway
(19:48):
through this season. So it's a little bit somedy worried about.
But I got a good feeling when we get off
to the phone line, things are gonna change for us.
Tom good morning. What do you got for Usthony?
Speaker 6 (20:00):
I got two things for you. Oh One. During the
ball game yesterday during the second half, the Alabama player
was well out of bounds, called a time out in
the air, and I thought they changed that rule. In fact,
I know they changed it, and you google it. But
now your screener tells me that they mentioned on the
air that that rule changed back. Do you all know
(20:22):
anything about that?
Speaker 1 (20:24):
I do not, Jack, or I was just as confused
in real time. Yeah, I.
Speaker 5 (20:33):
Had the exact same thought that went through my mind.
I didn't think it was legal, but our friend Joe
Lindsay with the officiating crew clearly thought otherwise. So I disagree,
disagreed with it wholeheardly as well.
Speaker 6 (20:45):
Okay, well I agree with that. Another thing I wanted
to say. If anybody hadn't been watching our women play basketball,
they're missing out on a real treat. These girls are good.
They're more fun to watch than the men, to be
honest with you, and they play again today. They played
with today at noon. It's on the SEC network and
if you if you've got nothing better to do, you
should watch it.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Okay, Tom, let me ask you a question. Are you asking?
Are you a UK fan? Like just all around, I'm
kind of trying to get a tally of how many
people just are fan of one sport. They can care
less about each other. Because you're absolutely right, if you
are a UK fan, there's plenty to be happy about.
Speaker 6 (21:23):
No, I'm a UK fan for sure.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
Now.
Speaker 6 (21:25):
I kind of got I got out of sync with
football with Mark Stoops because I was not a Mark
Stoops fan. I thought he was well overrated, And I've
just thought during his tenure when he was winning all
those games, that the teams he was playing in the
conference weren't that good. If you go back and look
at the record Missouri, South Carolina, Florida, all those teams
(21:46):
went in the tank and that's the only time he
was beating them. So anyway, but I am a UK fan.
I had football tickets at stall Field, so I've been
following them a long time.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
Well, I appreciate the call, Tom, Thank you, h Jack.
Before we get back to the phone lines, I did
want to get your response to a kind of the
Mark Pope where he's at. Do you think it's fixable
or is it a product of the nil deal where
you know these guys have promised so much. Maybe your
roster is put together because we know we're going to
(22:18):
get the best player at disposition. We're gonna get the
best player at this disposition, whether they can manufacture points or not,
because we have good athletes on the court, and Alabama
always has good athletes. Some of them just can shoot
and some of them can do other things. But it
seemed like we have really good athletes, but not a
whole lot of basketball players. Maybe Jalen Lowe's a basketball player,
(22:40):
Cam is between both Jasper. But other than that, you
got a lot of guys who just are athletes but
don't have high basketball i q's, or you know, can't
process the game fast enough, and that may frustrate Mark.
But you've been saying for a couple of weeks Mark
needs to do away with the analytics, and I guess
maybe play AA you ball, just rolled the ball out
(23:01):
and let those guys play the way they're most comfortable,
because you putting the harness around them and trying to
build structure for these guys seem to frustrate them more,
which your return is frustrating you, and return frustrating the
fan base, which can lead to a short tenure.
Speaker 5 (23:16):
I think there's a lot of truth to all that,
and I think that's one of the main issues right
now is he also has no recruiting base to kind
of hang his hat on, to kind of build optimism
for the future, to you know, the way coach cal
would you know whether a season was going as well
as he wanted or as poorly as he you know,
didn't want, he at least had well, hey, we at
(23:37):
least got the.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Number one recruiting class coming in next year. I mean
I remember, I remember sitting.
Speaker 5 (23:41):
At the podium after that Oakland loss, and he started
talking about this next next recruiting class, which ironically included
Jaden Quaintans.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
And some of the guys that he currently has. Just
it was it was just.
Speaker 5 (23:56):
Fascinating to see just kind of like there was always
something to hang on and the fan base at the
end of that and you know, hearing him at the
podium after Oakland go all right, I can't do this anymore.
I can't get excited for the next group when this
group continues to underperform. Pope doesn't even have that, like
he hasn't proven that he can land you know, a
(24:16):
surefire top of the top five star that's not from
Lexington or Georgetown or Harlan County or go down the list.
So like there's a there's there's a little bit of
a worry that, hey, how are you going to recruit
some of these kids? What what is going to be
the pitch to a donors this next cycle. You funded
a twenty two million dollar roster basically like hey, you
(24:37):
got lightning in a bottle in year one. We loved
everything that unfolded in year one. Here's all the money
you could possibly dream of to build the roster that
that you can win a national championship with. And this
is the product he put on the floor. And that
kind of goes back to just how yesterday unfolded it
was there, there's there. It was the same old, same
all with your full full roster, like there's no uses
(25:00):
anymore to hang your you know, fall back on for
you know, Patino giving us a nice little talking to
after Saint John's for you you can't see the full
product until you see the entire roster, was like, okay, well,
now we do have the full roster, and it's the
exact same garbage that we saw in some of those
early matchups. So he doesn't have a winning product on
the floor right now with the blank check roster. He
(25:22):
doesn't have any high school recruits signed for this up
this upcoming cycle, And how is he going to convince,
you know, the next portal class that that they're going
to come in and fix what this last year's group
did while also acknowledging that they're going to have to
overpay for a lot of these guys because he set
the market at you know, over paying a premium for
every single one of these guys. So he's really just
(25:44):
a really really bad no man's land of He's it
doesn't really have anything to be excited for for next year.
He kind of has to figure this group out. And
I again, I don't I don't know where that comes from.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
Quick, give me quick answering. We got to get to
the phone. Quick answer. I've listened to what you just said,
and I'm with you. So I'm kind of confused because
I didn't have pay to play, but you're saying he
does have a roster. How are you gonna convince Can
the University of Kentucky, Jersey and fat paycheck convince a
player to come here? Or are there still people who
(26:18):
want to win a national championship? Sure, but are those.
Speaker 5 (26:23):
Same donors that that gave two million dollars last cycle
going to be willing to say, here's another twenty two
million dollars to fix your last screw up.
Speaker 4 (26:32):
No, of course not.
Speaker 5 (26:33):
They're gonna say, I didn't get any return on my investment.
I didn't even get a fun, watchable product. Your your
product is boring. I mean, this is this is a
a John Caliperry offense without the John Caliperry talent like
it is, it is a boring product to watch, and
they're losing basketball games while being overpaid. So like there's
there's there's nothing that would make a donor look at
(26:55):
this product and go, yeah, you know what, I want
to reinvest. I want to double double down and put
more money. I like, how about let's build a thirty
million dollar roster next No, they're gonna look at it
and go, no, you had your chance.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
I'm gonna go.
Speaker 5 (27:06):
Spend my money on will Stein's feeding the studs. So no,
I I that's that is absolutely the problem. Sure, you
can always overspend for somebody, but if you don't get
it right in your first kind of blank check, I
mean we could probably say the same about will Stein
and his first cycle with you know, recruiting the Sam
Levitt of the world and these hot shot you know,
(27:28):
Texas receivers and all that stuff out out of the portal,
Like yeah, he's he's he's got some stuff humming. But
you know, if you're if you're going to build the
New York Yankees of college football, college basketball, whatever, you know,
you gotta kind of make it worth the while for
the donors, so or else you're gonna you're gonna make
them angry. So they're technically yes, but man, I have
(27:49):
a hard time seeing.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
A path to that. Absolutely, that's Jack Pickle. Let's get
to the phone lines and see what John Short has
to say. Good morning, John Short, Welcome to twenty twenty
six Sunday Morning Sports Talk.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
Good morning, have any of years?
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Happy New Year's too, too?
Speaker 4 (28:04):
Hey, thank you? That was the again. As you go about,
like meet Missouri my fifteen bigginess once tonight, we're gonna
win today. We reserved to have a fifteen Biggs and
women's basketball.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Fifteen Biggins after they be lsu and and Mochy and
those that crew. I don't know. I'm I might get
you to fifteen Biggs, Larry, would you would you go
to the would you go to the books on fifteen Biggins? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (28:28):
I like I like it. I don't think we're have
any let down. I think if we're gonna pour it
home today anything think they're gonna pour it off.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Are you coming to Memorial I'm assuming you're not because
you're on the air.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Yes, I am coming to the world.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Go ahead, John, I said.
Speaker 4 (28:43):
Go on, I'll go look till on the ready to
hear and watch it on TV. Turn and stand down TV.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
And here you're gonna watch the SEC network, right John,
that's right at twelve pm. That's why Bo's gonna let
me heurt early enough so I can drive home and
get home to watch it.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
Believe we'll win in I live with resprised to found
four because I found four.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
Predictions Women's and man's basketball every year Kentucky Vandonville, Georgia,
Alabama sings speak every.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Year, and boys and girls, you're saying yes, even Jack,
as optimistic as Jack is, he don't even buy that.
Speaker 4 (29:21):
And then for the Collors World, serious, I paid the
same teams and then it says thank you. Van College
says okay, Aubury and section line MISSIEK means to safe
pay those same teams every year.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
To you, John Short, We're gonna hold you to that.
That's the best news we've heard in twenty twenty six
thus far, besides the unless you win. We appreciate the call,
John Short to a great American. Let's let's stay with
the phone lines and see what Larry has to say.
Good morning, Larry, what do you got for us.
Speaker 4 (29:47):
I got a lot for it. Hey, guys, I got
a lot for you. You know, first of all, Kenny Brooks,
he's the best women's coach, dog Grave Higres. I mean,
I like, I like the guy, like that Toude. He
takes his place, he knows what he wants to recruit,
and he the guy just coaches kids up. I mean,
maybe they'll be the best and worst of them, but
(30:08):
he done what I been hard and for over years.
Bring fives in five. You know you can't play five.
But anyway, as far as the before I get one,
I'm ry anks this question about the quarterback? We're going
to give him one from Arizona State? Can you hear me?
Speaker 1 (30:26):
Larry Vaught, I'm.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Sorry I cut out on me. I couldn't hear there.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
He said, are we going to get a quarterback from
Arizona State?
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Well, there would be some indications of that that he
visited Kentucky as his sentence to transfer a portal officially opened.
But now he's gone to Texas Tech and they might
have a little money out there, so we will see
a visit doesn't This doesn't always mean a commitment when
they leave with that committee. I think sometimes you have
to wonder, but if those figures of up to four
(31:00):
million dollars that you're hearing about to pay a quarterback,
that's a lot of money. He'd better really, really really
delivered to go give you that kind of cash.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
And one thing I will add.
Speaker 5 (31:11):
As well, Larry, one thing I'll add as well. We
had something very similar with Devin Leary when he was
kind of the hot shot portal name a couple of
years back. He visited Kentucky very similar like, oh, Kentucky
found its guy.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
They they have the inside track on landing him.
Speaker 5 (31:29):
And then he left campus and made it to Auburn
for his for his next visit, kind of the exact
same timeline unfolded and everybody kind of thought, oh man,
how did we fumble this one? And then he'd ended
up committing like a day later to Kentucky. So if
it could be a leverage play as well, to make
sure that the numbers are where the agent wants.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
It to be.
Speaker 5 (31:50):
But I do think Kentucky has the highest offer right
now for in my opinion, the best best quarterback in
the portal, maybe the best player overall in the portal.
So he would be an absolute home run if Stein
can pull it off.
Speaker 4 (32:02):
Yeah. Well anyway, on Tugy basketball, you know they always
said to Tugy basketball was like Alabama football.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
You know, it's probably true.
Speaker 4 (32:09):
They could we boasts up. I mean they're Alabama and
fans w they got to be they got to be
peeed off, you know. But you know Kentucky, I mean
I've watched it there State guys and you know Mark Pope,
I mean the guy, you know b YU. Look where
they're at right now, so when Pope's are he's never
been ready to high. I watched the b WHYU a lot,
and I'm amazed with him what they've done. They got
(32:31):
one great player and they actually went some pretty good games.
I mean, we looked like a bunch of forger you know,
running on We just don't even know where we're at.
It's just amazing our big guys. You know, if they
don't get a laft or dunk, they can't choose. I mean,
it's a big problem there. Wat I'm just give him
one more time. But he was kind of disappointing or
stay he It's like everybody was just they got behind me, Okay,
(32:53):
it's all over. And it seemed like no energy and
Mark Pope. You know what I'm gonna tell you, guys,
if this guy doesn't next year, I mean, the guy
probably has to go. I like Mark, but nice guys
always finished last. I'll tell you what if he gets fired,
I will say this, he is so investing in Tucky basketball.
I believe they'll destroyed his career. I mean, I mean,
(33:13):
the guy can't and recruiting guys. We ain't gotten. We
didn't have nobody to come in next year. Have you
ever heard of that for Tucky basketball?
Speaker 1 (33:20):
Don't beat Thank you for the call, Larry. We got
to get moving along. I will say this, And Larry's
pretty pretty consistent over the years calling into this show,
you know. And I'm probably gonna talk about this a
little bit later in the show with Jack and Jack
and Larry. But the idea that we were up on Pope,
(33:43):
we get up on a coach because there were things
said on the show or said to me on social
media about the volleyball team losing and I was too
optimistic and I shouldn't have That's the dumbest crap I've
ever heard. That I'm too optimistic, which is fine, but
I don't like the idea that if are for our
football program. Before Mark Stoops left, it was championship or
(34:05):
bus if we can win championship. But we're not trajectory.
And this is not just Larry the caller, This is
I hear this from a lot of people, not all
the sensible listeners or the sensible fans, but there's always
that well, we can't if you're not compete for championships,
for what are you doing? It's only one team that
wins the championship every year. But the other side of
is if this team doesn't look like they can win
a championship, he needs to be fired. That is not
(34:26):
a good place to live in as a fan base.
We'll be back after this year. Listening to Stockyards Bank
Sunday when the sports talk on news radio six thirty WLAP.
Speaker 7 (34:34):
This is Stockyards Bank Sunday Mornings sports Talk presented by
the lead Troop Boards Radio Network on six thirty WLAP.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Jack Pilgrim. I did want to ask then I got
one question for Larry Vault before we hit the break
new gonna transition to women's basketball. But Jack Pilgrim, do
you think if Holloway or fi Line doesn't have such
an impact on the game. You know, just those daggers
left and right all game long. You think we can
get into a rhythm or get into a groove or
(35:04):
this team just wasn't into it at all because Halloway.
I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. I
don't know if Gary Payton could have done anything with them.
Speaker 5 (35:15):
They were number one and number two on the scouting report.
That was kind of the that was kind of the frustration.
It was, how do you let these two people and
like all across the board, it's just, hey, this team
is going to fire away once they crossed the half court,
they are going to fire away at as far away
as thirty five feet. Be prepared, get a hand up,
(35:36):
get make sure you're prepared. And how they were left
open on so many wide open catch and shoot looks.
How they found so much open space to do what
they do best.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
I mean, they.
Speaker 5 (35:49):
Hit the third most three pointers in college basketball going
into the game and took the most three pointers in
college basketball going into this game, So that was priority
number one. So going under on screen and some of
just the egregious, Like I don't know if it was
a poor it was poor execution or poor game planning
and scouting above all else. It was just an absolute
failure to slow down the thing that they do absolute best.
(36:13):
But that is just game, and that's just the part.
For the course with Alabama, they're going to torch you.
You were gonna lose the three point battle. It was
not just kind of staying at arms reach, and they
weren't able to do that, and you know.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
That was a failure.
Speaker 5 (36:25):
But the biggest failure was, you know, there was a
real advantage on the glass, especially when they were without
tailor ball beelling to start the game. And then Aiden
Cherrell went down with an injury nine minutes in and
they had to start Noel Williamson, who was averaging one
point one points per game going into this, and played
eighteen minutes and you got out rebounded by a super
(36:48):
thin front court when you had were at total full
strength with JQ and everybody.
Speaker 1 (36:53):
So that was a massive, massive, massive.
Speaker 5 (36:55):
Disappointment and probably the biggest failure of the game in
my opinion. But also just the inability to score against
one of the worst Power conference defenses in college basketball.
That was, you know, just kind of an all system
failure unfortunately.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
And Larry, do you think because of what Larry said,
and caler, Larry, I'm going to give you credit. Caler
Larry said, No matter whatever happens, Mark Pope has been
committed and dedicated to this job in this university and
that cannot go denied. But Larry Vaud, do you think
in the background Mark Pope is somewhere scratching his head
thinking do you think he's regretting taking this job first
for some of the reasons that Kler Larry from Lebanon said.
(37:30):
You know, you look at BYU now thirteen to one
without Pope, and Pope is over here struggling with the
highest paid roster one of the blue blood universities, and
you know, with his football with his football knowledge and IQ,
I mean basketball knowledge and IQ. You think he's regretting
it because if it continues this direction, people are going
to pick him apart, especially our fan base.
Speaker 2 (37:52):
No, I don't think he's regretting it. I think he's
probably regretting how this season is going. But I think
he's still delighted to be as Kentucky. But again, he's
got to start. I mean, in the last thirty nine games,
they've now been trailed by twenty points eight of those times,
and I think now I have what I see I
(38:14):
remember note try and finding here like twelve or fifteen
double duty losses in the last thirty nine games. That's
just a pitiful trend.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
Winning cares everything. You know, who wins, Kenny Brooks and
our lady Cats. And we'll talk about that when we
come back. You're listening to Stockyards Back Sunday morning sports
talk on news radio six thirty WLAP.
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