KSR Today: Calipari at SEC Media Day and lots more coach-talk with Stoops and more

Mornin’. It’s me again for a third day in a row as KSR HQ remains short-staffed a little while longer. Today, we have a lot for your daily planner and it’s all about coaches, beginning with a morning with John Calipari coming up to lead off the day.

We’ll also hear from three of Kentucky Football’s coaches, EKU’s head football coach, and all you missed from the ladies’ day at SEC Tipoff ’23 in Birmingham. Let’s get right to it.

John Calipari and Kentucky to speak at SEC Tipoff ’23

In the day’s biggest news, John Calipari and two of his players, Lance Ware (in for the injured Oscar Tshiebwe) and Sahvir Wheeler, boarded a private plane for lovely Birmingham, Alabama, where later this morning they will fulfill their obligations at SEC Tipoff ’23. The event is basketball’s version of football’s popular SEC Media Days, although all 14 schools participate on one day at SEC Tipoff ’23 rather than dragging it out over the course of four days.

When Calipari speaks (at approximately 11:15 AM), KSR will be listening from the ground floor at Grand Bohemian Hotel with both Jack Pilgrim and Zack Geoghegan in attendance. They will speak to Ware and Wheeler too, and we will have those conversations here for you on Kentucky-Sports-Radio-dot-com later today.

A prediction: summer basketball will be a popular topic when Calipari is at the podium. It’s his new cause.

Kentucky Women’s Basketball was in Birmingham yesterday

Before SEC Men’s Basketball takes over Birmingham’s Grand Bohemian Hotel today, the 14 women’s basketball programs of the conference had their turn with the media on Tuesday. Kentucky’s Kyra Elzy was of course in attendance and with her she brought two of the few familiar faces returning this year, Jada Walker and Blair Green.

To hear all they had to say about Kentucky’s upcoming 2022-23 season, watch their entire interviews below. While in Birmingham, Kentucky was picked seventh in the league’s preseason poll.

Kyra Elzy

Jada Walker

Blair Green

Mark Stoops on the SEC coaches teleconference

More coach-talk for you today. Coming up at the lunch hour, Mark Stoops will make his regular weekly appearance on the SEC Coaches Teleconference. Stoops’ weekly call into the teleconference is typically pretty brief and vague, but this week we take what we can get after a Monday with no press conference in Lexington, so KSR will be dialed in and eager to get any updates from Kentucky Football’s head coach.

Today, Stoops’ team will begin its preparations for next week’s trip to Tennessee with a first-look at the Vols. I assume he’ll have something to say about that game plan and more from the bye week when we hear from him today by phone.

Scangarello, White to speak after today’s practice

When Kentucky’s practice concludes later this afternoon, coordinators Rich Scangarello and Brad White will share the post-practice podium to give updates on Kentucky’s offense and defense. Only the second practice of the week due to the bye, Scangarello and White may not have a lot to say about how the team is progressing on the field, but it’s the only time we will hear from them about last Saturday’s game and what they’re doing during the week without a game.

As always, you can find those conversations here and on KSR’s YouTube channel.

WATCH: Stoops after Tuesday’s practice

In case you missed it, and in case you’re not already tired of reading about coaches talking, yesterday we got eight minutes with Mark Stoops after Kentucky’s first bye week practice. Hit play below to hear from Stoops about what he saw on Saturday’s film, getting healthy, the bye week timeline, and looking ahead to the Vols.

EKU head coach Walt Wells to be a guest on KSR

Today on KSR’s radio show, Matt Jones and Ryan Lemond will welcome special guest Walt Wells, the head coach of Eastern Kentucky University’s football team. Wells is back with the Colonels after suffering a life-threatening heart attack at EKU’s football facility prior to the start of the season, and today KSR is exciting to have him on the program again to update everyone on his well-being, his football team, and his new appreciation of life.

Tune in to Matt, Ryan, and Shannon at 10 AM.

And stick with us here on the website for a looooooong day of coach speak.