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KSR Today: Talking about (Kentucky Basketball) Practice

On3 imageby:Tyler Thompson•06/17/25•

MrsTylerKSR

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The Kentucky Basketball team gathers for a summer workout - Photo by Eddie Justice, UK Athletics

Good morning, KSR readers. It’s another soggy Tuesday in June, but we’ve got plenty of basketball content to keep you entertained. Monday brought us three basketball interviews, a TBT announcement, a football commitment, and Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

If you didn’t stay up, you missed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams combining for 71 points to lead the OKC Thunder to a 120-109 win over the Indiana Pacers. Shai had 31 of those to go along with 10 assists. It was Shai’s 15th 30-point game this postseason, which puts him in rare air alongside Kobe Bryant (15, 2009), Hakeem Olajuwon (16, 1995), and Michael Jordan (16, 1992). Fellow former Cat Cason Wallace came off the bench to score 11 points and grab four steals in 17 minutes. The Thunder now lead the series 3-2 and can claim the title on Thursday in Indianapolis.

Closer to home, we’re talking about practice. That’s where we’ll start the rundown.

Kentucky Basketball practice is underway

The basketball team has been on campus for over a week, but on Monday, they held their first practice of the summer. Teams are allowed a total of eight weeks of weight training, skill instruction, and development during the summer. They are limited to eight hours per week, only four of which can be spent on skill instruction. Today, they’ll hold a conditioning test, part of a new program Pope and his staff are putting into place.

“We have a new focus on conditioning this summer,” Pope told Jack Pilgrim before leaving Colorado Springs on Monday. “It’s going to be new. We’re starting with a conditioning test tomorrow, and that’s going to be a huge emphasis for us and the way we want to play this year, so that’s a little bit of a new vibe for us.”

Translation: get ready to sweat. After Monday’s practice, sophomores Trent Noah and Collin Chandler met with reporters to talk about the new squad. Even after just one practice, Chandler said the new focus on conditioning is apparent, a tone set by the returning players and staff.

“There is something today where we were in practice and running around, and guys put their hands on their knees, and we’re like, ‘No, we’re not doing that this year. We’re not putting our hands on our knees.’ So that’s one thing. It’s like, we’re gonna get tougher in that way.”

With a full year under his belt, Noah likes what he’s seeing so far.

“Practice was this morning, we had kind of like skill groups. We got up early, got up at it, and it was a good first day, getting everybody acclimated to the system. It was definitely a good day one.“

We’ll be rolling content out from the interviews for the rest of the week, but you can see them in their entirety below.

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USA Basketball U19 Training Camp continues

One player will be rejoining the team today. Malachi Moreno was cut from the USA Basketball U19 Training Camp on Monday, leaving Jasper Johnson as the lone Wildcat striving to make the 12-man roster that will compete at the FIBA World Cup later this month in Switzerland. As Jack Pilgrim noted, Moreno performed very well in practices and scrimmages in Colorado Springs but suffered a minor injury on Monday morning. After talking it over with camp organizers, they made a mutual decision for him to head back to Lexington instead of risking making the injury worse.

Before he left, we got a preview of what could be coming soon to Rupp Arena when Johnson found Moreno for a dunk with Mark Pope watching on from the sidelines.

Mark Pope is back in Lexington, too, his role as on-court assistant now wrapped up. Before he left, he talked to Jack for over 10 minutes about Kentucky’s guys, what’s going on back home, the USA Basketball experience, how the program will handle the House Settlement, and more. If you missed it, check it out below.

Jack Pilgrim will have more from Colorado Springs on a new episode of Sources Say tonight at 8 p.m. ET on the KSR YouTube Channel. In the meantime, check out his updates on yesterday’s KSR Happy Hour, which was chock-full of news and ridiculousness.

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Meet Mark Pope & Kenny Brooks at Kroger

Speaking of Mark Pope, you can meet him today. Pope and Kenny Brooks will be at the Beaumont Kroger in Lexington from 1:30-3:00 p.m. this afternoon to meet fans and sign posters and other items. Come hang out with the head coaches and maybe do a little shopping. Knowing Pope, he won’t leave until every single shopper gets an autograph or picture.

ICYMI, Kentucky Football landed another commitment

Despite Vince Marrow leaving for Louisville, Kentucky Football is on a hot streak on the recruiting trail. On Monday, the Cats landed their fourth commitment in the past week, three-star safety Messiah Tilson. The Rockford, Ill. native picked the Cats over Minnesota, Rutgers, and Wisconsin. He’s the No. 450 overall prospect in the 2026 On3 Industry Ranking, and the No. 12 player in Illinois, and took an official visit to Kentucky earlier this month.

During his ceremony, Tilson did not one, but two fake outs, first taking off his sweatshirt to reveal a Wisconsin shirt, which he took off to reveal a Rutgers shirt…and finally, a Kentucky shirt. Rutgers has beaten Kentucky more than once on the recruiting trail this season, but also taking a jab at Wisconsin? I think he’ll fit in well here.

Tilson is the sixth member of Kentucky’s 2026 recruiting class, the fifth to commit this month as official visits take place.

PlayerPositionHigh SchoolRanking
Jarvis StricklandT (6-4, 280)Paducah (Ky.) Tilghman4-star (No. 355 overall)
Jordan CrutchfieldCB (6-2, 195)Vero Beach (Fla.) HighHigh 3-star (No. 416 overall)
Messiah TilsonS (6-2, 165)Rockford (Ill.) GuilfordHigh 3-star (No. 450 overall)
Prince JeanWR (6-0, 170)Valdosta (Ga.) High3-star (No. 713 overall)
Davis McCrayWR (6-2, 190)San Antonio (Texas) Cornerstone Christian3-star (No. 1,053 overall)
Cameron MillerT (6-5, 310)Hammond (Ind.) Morton3-star (No. 1,320 overall)

Who’s next? Adam Luckett broke down the latest in a new Recruiting Notebook on Monday. More official visitors are arriving on campus as the week goes on. We’ve got our ears to the ground to bring you the latest on KSBoard.

Take advantage of our KSR+ Introductory Offer to get bonus coverage of the Cats, including game threads, in-depth scouting reports, and the latest recruiting and roster intel. $1 for a week.

Kentucky QB target starts Elite 11

If you’re a KSR+ member, you were the first to hear Luckett break the news that Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller star quarterback Matt Ponatoski was on Kentucky’s campus for a surprise visit. The four-star prospect made the quick trip down I-75 before heading to the Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles, which start today. That’s a big, big deal for the staff, who are hoping to pull off what would be a massive recruiting win.

Ponatoski is down to Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, and Oregon. The baseball star is also projected to hear his name in the upcoming MLB Draft, another decision to consider. In a recent interview with On3’s Steve Wiltfong, Ponatoski said he likes both Kentucky’s football and baseball staffs, and obviously, the proximity to home.

“Obviously, it’s close to home. That’s something my family, they’re really supportive and a lot of family likes to come to games. Not just immediate family, so it would be real easy to get there. The baseball coaches, what they told me and how they run their team is amazing. One of the only coaches I talked to where God is the center of their program. The football side of it Coach Hamdan we’ve had great talks. They’ve been really good and really heavy for a real long time now and I can really respect that.”

Ponatoski is one of 20 quarterbacks at the Elite 11 Finals and will have lots of eyes on him in LA. We’ll bring you the highlights.

Ansley Almonor joins La Familia for TBT

La Familia, Kentucky’s alumni team in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), added its first player from the Mark Pope era. Ansley Almonor announced last night that he is joining the squad for this summer’s event. He’s the sixth member of the squad, which will host the Lexington Regional at Memorial Coliseum July 18-22. More player announcements are coming soon.

“What’s up, BBN? I’ll be coming back to Lexington this summer for La Familia. I’ll see y’all soon,” Almonor told BBN Tonight. ” … I already miss playing in front of BBN and I already miss the city of Lexington, so I can’t wait to go out there and represent you guys one more time.”

La Familia Roster for TBT 2025

  • Willie Cauley-Stein (F, 2012-15)
  • Doron Lamb (SG, 2010-12)
  • DeAndre Liggins (SG/SF, 2008-11)
  • Aaron Harrison (G, 2013-15)
  • Andrew Harrison (G, 2013-15)
  • Ansley Almonor (F, 2024-25)
  • Head Coach: Sean Woods

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2025-06-20