KSR Today: Did that really happen?
It feels like we all just woke up from a fever dream, a Thursday we’ll all remember for a long, long time. The Pardon My Takeover on KSR continued for an eighth consecutive year and got off to a relatively normal start — a Coach Cal hot seat victory lap and Jack Gohlke jabs (more on that shortly) — only to follow it up with the first-ever appearance of Rick Pitino on the show. Yes, that Rick Pitino, the one who became the butt of most jokes in Lexington for two decades as enemy No. 1 at Louisville.
An all-time interview with Rick Pitino
And he was awesome. Not just a good sport about the rivalry jabs — he said he actually understands now why Kentucky fans temporarily hated his guts when he was with the Cardinals — but he also raved about Mark Pope as a coach and even broke the news that he was a booster for the football program because he’s “a casual friend of Mark Stoops and Eddie Gran.”
What?!
From telling stories of Pope using the word ‘frick’ too much as a player to saying it’s time for Big Blue Nation to move on from John Calipari and embrace this new era of Kentucky basketball, Pitino’s interview had everything. It was an all-time KSR moment that still doesn’t feel real.
The PMT crew wasn’t done there, trading out the Pitino interview in the first hour for a call from “Jack from Oakland,” someone quick to discuss Jack Gohlke’s heroics in Oakland’s upset over Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament. Later revealing himself as the sharpshooter, he joked that he was sorry he got fans’ hopes up regarding a March Madness run, but not that he went nuclear and sent the Cats home early.
Oh, and he couldn’t for the life of him understand why Kentucky didn’t switch up its defensive gameplan or make adjustments as Gohlke caught fire.
“You would think that a guy like me, I mean him, who is just stroking it like that, they would pick him up in full (court),” he said.
Dagger, right to the heart.
Antonio Reeves picked by the Pelicans, Justin Edwards goes undrafted
After the dust settled on KSR, attention shifted toward the second round of the NBA Draft — a stupid two-day setup, by the way. It looked like Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum was announcing picks out of a broom closet, each selection taking four minutes to fill time.
All eyes were on Antonio Reeves and Justin Edwards, seen as two of the top talents available after night one. The former didn’t have to wait too terribly long, selected by the New Orleans Pelicans at No. 47. His selection came during a commercial break for Verizon and KFC, similar to Nikola Jokic’s infamous Taco Bell commercial promoting the Quesarito.
Sounds like Reeves is going to become a future world champion and MVP in New Orleans.
As for Justin Edwards, he didn’t have the same good fortune on day two, going undrafted after once being seen as a potential No. 1 pick when he arrived at Kentucky. It opened the door for questions of what went wrong in Lexington for someone previously considered a surefire lottery pick to fall outside the field completely — certainly when Bronny James can come off the board at No. 55 overall to the Los Angeles Lakers, despite averaging 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game on 36/26/67 shooting splits at USC.
If there was feel-good news that came from Edwards’ slide, it was the fact that he was quickly picked up by his hometown Philadelphia 76ers on a two-way contract. He’ll be able to play for a contender from day one, specifically in front of friends and family.
Tre Mitchell heads to OKC
We know where Reed Sheppard, Rob Dillingham, Antonio Reeves and Justin Edwards are going, but what about Kentucky’s final draft-eligible piece? Tre Mitchell found his next home Thursday, as well.
The sixth-year senior reached an agreement on a Summer League deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder, sources tell KSR.
He’ll now suit up with OKC in the 2024 Salt Lake City Summer League from July 8-10, then again in the 2K25 Las Vegas Summer League from July 12-22. It’s a huge opportunity for the versatile forward who was considered arguably Kentucky’s most valuable asset before injuries derailed his season in SEC play.
Can he capitalize? He’ll get his shot next month.
Randall Cobb and his family survive house fire
Hate to end today’s morning post on a somber note, but an all-time fan favorite for Kentucky football is “lucky to be alive,” Randall Cobb’s house burning down in a fire this week.
The former Wildcat’s wife shared on Instagram that the family’s Tesla charger caught fire in the garage and quickly spread throughout the house.
“We got out of the house with nothing but the clothes on our back and no shoes on our feet,” she wrote.
The pictures and videos are horrific, Cobb adding that he had to go back in the house to save their family dog, Louie.
“First and foremost, we are all safe and healthy,” Cobb said. “… Unfortunately we don’t know how much, if anything, will be salvageable, but this has been a reminder that nothing is more important than the health of our family.”
A tragic situation for the Cobbs, but one they fortunately escaped together as a family.
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