KSR Today: John Calipari, Quintavion Norman, and the NBA trade deadline

Good morning, folks! We’re in between Kentucky men’s basketball games right now. Sad face. The vibes are still high though following the Wildcats’ 109-77 destruction of Vanderbilt in Nashville the other day as the team turns to prepare for a non-conference showdown against Gonzaga at Rupp Arena this weekend.

The Bulldogs aren’t what they usually are compared to years past, but Mark Few’s program is still a Quad 1 win opportunity. Gonzaga is 17-6 on the season and ranks 26th in the NET. Kentucky still needs to start stacking some quality wins and this will be a perfect chance. UK will likely be favored once the line drops.

During his weekly radio show appearance with Tom Leach last night, Calipari didn’t dive too much into what’s in store with Gonzaga, but he still had plenty to talk about. Among the highlights:

• Leach compared Jordan Burks to DeAndre Liggins as a high-energy defensive stopper. Due to some injuries ahead of him, Burks had his best game as a Wildcat yet against Vandy.
• Calipari liked the zone defense he rolled out on out-of-bounds plays. So did we.
• Calipari mentioned that Kentucky plays faster than most teams, which leads to more overall possessions than usual for the opposition and, typically, more points than normal.
• Calipari wants everyone to embrace the fact that UK has seven NBA All-Stars this season — a record by one school. You don’t have to tell me twice.
• The team had Wednesday off, so no injury updates on DJ Wagner or Tre Mitchell.

And now… We continue to wait. We’ll likely hear from a couple of the players sometime on Friday to get their thoughts on Gonzaga and what the feeling has been like in the locker room since Tuesday’s big win. In the meantime, let’s dive into the rest of today’s news and notes…

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Quintavion Norman Commits to Kentucky

National Signing Day came and went without much excitement, but the Wildcats did add one piece to the 2024 recruiting class. Quintavion Norman a 6-foot-3, 205-pound linebacker from Covington, GA, announced his commitment to UK yesterday.

Norman is new to football. He initially planned to begin his college career at the junior college level, but his athleticism popped off the page enough for Kentucky to take a closer look. Norman officially visited UK over the weekend and the deal was sealed right then.

“They understood my story and they develop players,” Norman told KSR+. “That’s their tradition. I get along with Coach [Brad] White and Coach [Mark] Stoops. They really believed in me and gave me the opportunity to come there, be great, and be a part of their program. I love the facilities and the people that are around.”

Norman was unranked by all four major recruiting services coming into the week but has since been tabbed as a three-star prospect by both 247Sports and Rivals. Catch up on Adam Luckett’s Film Room breakdown of Norman’s game here to learn more about the newest ‘Cat.

Kentucky’s 2024 class now features 22 high school commits and ranks 25th in the country (13th in the SEC). UK has also added 11 transfers during this cycle. You can see them all here.

New Sources Say in your feed

Shortly after Calipari wrapped up his radio show last night, KSR’s Jack Pilgrim and Go Big Blue Country’s Shawn Smith hopped on the KSR YouTube channel for another live edition of the Sources Say podcast. The focus? Kentucky’s blowout win over Vanderbilt from Tuesday.

What does it mean for the ‘Cats now and moving forward? Allow Jack and Shawn to explain below.

More Kentucky News and Views on the KSR YouTube Channel

Kentucky Sports Radio has expanded its coverage of the Wildcats in the most ridiculous manner possible on our YouTube Channel. Here you will be able to find interviews with coaches and players, as well as commentary from the KSR crew. From Rapid Reactions following big events to our lengthy lineup of live shows, subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel to stay up to date on everything happening around the Big Blue Nation.

The NBA trade deadline is today

My favorite time of the year has arrived: NBA trade deadline day. At 3:00 p.m. EST this afternoon, NBA teams will no longer be able to complete trades, which typically leads to all sorts of chaos in the hours leading up to the cutoff. This year’s deadline is being rumored as a potential dud with star players expected to stick with their current teams, but never doubt the unexpected in this dumb league.

We already had one former ‘Cat get moved yesterday with the Detroit Pistons shipping Kevin Knox to the Utah Jazz. It marked the third straight year that Knox has been dealt ahead of the deadline. He might not be the only former Kentucky player on the move either. Keep an eye on PJ Washington and Nick Richards of the Charlotte Hornets as possible moving pieces between now and 3:00 p.m.

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