KSR Today: A Busy Basketball Weekend, Summer Recruiting, Juneteenth, and More

Good morning, Kentucky fans. How are you? I am doing well. Thank you for asking. I hope you had a lovely Father’s Day with your family, too. The late-night US Open was a nice touch.

Anyway, it’s a new Monday here on KentuckySportsRadio.com and in life, where we celebrate Juneteenth today in America. Also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, Juneteenth is an annual holiday to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and the announcement of their freedom in Texas in 1865, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

In 2021, Juneteenth gained widespread recognition as a federal holiday, further acknowledging its significance and amplifying the celebration as a symbolic reminder of the end of slavery in the United States. So Happy Juneteenth to all.

Join us as we honor the celebration of #Juneteenth. pic.twitter.com/glzmlVr1x2

— Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthletics) June 19, 2023

On a much lighter note, these are traditionally slow times for UK Athletics, but there is still news to address…

Kentucky Basketball’s Busy Weekend

This past weekend was busy for Kentucky Basketball, highlighted by the addition of another freshman to next season’s roster.

JOEY HART JOINED THE NEW FRESHMAN CLASS

On Saturday, three-star shooting guard Joey Hart became John Calipari’s seventh new freshman with Hart’s commitment to the Wildcats. The seventh-best Indianian in the graduating high school class, Hart has already moved into his new room in Lexington to join the team for summer activities, including the upcoming trip to Canada next month.

As a senior at Linton-Stockton High, Hart led the Miners to a 29-2 record and Class 2A runner-up finish with averages of 23.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 41 percent from three.

2023 3-star SG Joey Hart commits to Kentucky
John Calipari welcomes Joey Hart to #LaFamilia
Film Room: Joey Hart

RECRUITING THE FUTURE

With Hart on board, Kentucky’s coaching staff spent the rest of the weekend building for beyond the upcoming 2023-24 season. The weekend (June 16-18) was the first of several consecutive NCAA-approved evaluation periods when coaches are free to move about the country to watch prospective student-athletes or visit their schools. John Calipari and his assistants were spotted courtside in Philadelphia to see names like Billy Richmond and Jalil Bathea at the Philly Live Event, all while balancing commitments to young fans back in Lexington.

FATHER/SON CAMPS

This past weekend, Kentucky also hosted its last father/son and father/daughter camps of the summer. Today, Calipari will begin another four-day camp slate with “Camp Cal” for young boys (7-18) seeking instruction from Coach Cal. Then camp season is concluded for the summer on Thursday, so Calipari can return to the summer recruiting trail.

Here are highlights of this past weekend’s Kentucky Basketball camps:

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UK’s Freshmen recognized by Jordan Brand Classic

One more Kentucky Basketball note from the weekend. Four of the seven freshmen were named to the 2023 Jordan Brand Classic yesterday. The Wildcats honored in 2023 are Justin Edwards, Rob Dillingham, DJ Wagner, and Aaron Bradshaw.

However, there isn’t an actual Jordan Brand Classic game in 2023, so the recognition is all we will see of the four ‘Cats and their inclusion in the Jordan Brand Classic.

Kentucky Baseball added a Hilltopper

On the other side of campus, Kentucky Baseball is new to vacation, but the team is already seeing significant moves to its roster for next year. First, three players entered the transfer portal late last week following the end of the Wildcats’ historic run to the NCAA Super Regional in Baton Rouge. Then yesterday, Nick Mingione landed outfielder Ty Crittenberger out of the portal via Western Kentucky University.

A Florida native, Crittenberger was a Hilltopper for three seasons with a .314 career batting average in 57 games played. In 2022, he scored 17 runs with 39 hits, six doubles, one triple, and three home runs with a perfect 9-for-9 record stealing bases.

Super excited to announce I’ve decided to play my last year of college baseball at the University of Kentucky. Big blue nation let’s rideeee⚪️🔵⚪️🔵 pic.twitter.com/bHu93MftUN

— TY Crittenberger (@CrittenbergerTy) June 18, 2023

Kentucky Football still adding visits, maybe commits

June is also a busy time for Kentucky Football with its summer camping and roster building on campus. Yesterday, running backs coach Jay Boulware teased some good news on the horizon while the program hosts special visitors every weekend. This upcoming weekend, Zayden Walker, a top-10 prospect from the 2025 class, is expected to be in Lexington, among others.

Though busy, times aren’t so busy that Brad White couldn’t sit down with KSR’s “11 Personnel” podcast. Kentucky’s defensive coordinator joined Roush and Luckett for a Father’s Day conversation.

Today’s KSR is a special replay episode with John Calipari

Coming up at 10 a.m., iHeart employees have the day off for Juneteenth but you can still tune in for two hours to hear the last time John Calipari was on the show. Shannon The Dude dug up Calipari’s last appearance from the archives, back in September of 2021.

Tune in and we’ll be back live tomorrow on your radio airwaves without John Calipari (unless he wants to come over to KSBar and Grille).

Go Cats.