KSR Today: Lexington Regional, Sunday Showcase Camp, Pangos All-American

Good morning, folks! For the third day in a row, we’ve got a big game on the diamond to talk about. Kentucky baseball will be back in action later this evening with a chance to win the Lexington Regional. The Bat Cats fought off a late rally from Western Michigan on Friday before cruising past Illinois on Saturday to enter today with a 2-0 record.

In 2017 and 2023, Nick Mingione’s teams dropped the second game of the regional, forcing them to fight back into the winner’s bracket. That hasn’t been the case in 2024 though. This is just the second time in program history (1988) that UK won its first two NCAA Tournament games. Kentucky is officially on a roll and now has two chances to lock up a spot in the Super Regional. A loss would set up a must-win situation on Monday.

“I told Christen, it took me four tries: ’06, ’17, ’23, and ’24,” Nick Mingione said postgame. “It took me four tries. I’m happy. Just another thing that we haven’t done before. Still obviously have a lot of baseball left.”

Who will Kentucky face today? We won’t know until the afternoon. Up first, Illinois and Indiana State will go head-to-head at noon EST. The Bat Cats will take on the winner of that matchup tonight at 6:00 p.m. EST back at Kentucky Proud Park on ESPN+.

Pack those stands, BBN.

More postgame coverage is on the way on the KSR YouTube Channel. Subscribe today to see press conferences, interviews, Rapid Reaction, and more.

Lexington Regional updated bracket

Sunday Showcase Camp

This afternoon, KSR will have boots on the ground for the first of several camps hosted by Kentucky football. Today’s event is known as the Sunday Showcase Camp and typically features some intriguing high school prospects that the Wildcats want to get a better look at in person. Below are some of the recruits that will be in attendance later today.

• Kylan Baker (’27 CB) 6-0, 170 | Moody (Moody, AL)
• Jackson Reynolds (’27 LB) 6-3, 190 | Lancaster (Lancaster, OH)
• Noah King (’25 ATH) 6-2, 185 | Fairfield (Fairfield, OH)
• Zane Johnson (’27 QB) 6-1, 205 | Trinity (Louisville, KY)
• Sekou Kamar (’27 DB) 5-9, 150 | Trinity (Louisville, KY)
• Tyler McBride (’27 DL) 6-0, 250 | Salito (Salito, MS)
• Michael Powell Jr. (’25 QB) 6-0, 210 | Owen County (Owenton, KY)
• Cionne Conn (’27 ATH) 6-0, 165 | Frederick Douglass (Lexington, KY)
• David Anderson (’25 ATH) Dixie Heights (Fort Mitchell, KY)
• Matthew Williams (’26 ATH) 5-11, 165 | Detroit Catholic Central (Novi, MI)
• Isaiah Kay Johnson (’25 ATH) 6-3, 190 | Cooper (Union, KY)
• Asher Rowley (’27 LB) 5-11, 205 | Fairfield Christian Academy (Lancaster, OH)
• Jordan Holman (’27 ATH) 6-2, 195 | Woodford County (Versailles, KY)
• Javion Hendrix (’25 S) 6-3, 180 | Mason (Mason, OH)
• Lamar Hockersmith (’26 ATH) 5-8. 170 | Ballard (Louisville, KY)
• Deacon Simmons (’25 RB) 5-9, 165 | Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, OH)
• Liam Davidson (’25 OL) 6-3, 280 | Mason (Mason, OH)
• Jaxon Strautman (’26 QB) 6-1, 190 | Frederick Douglass (Lexington, KY)

Pangos All-American Camp also starts today

Out in Las Vegas, the 22nd annual Pangos All-American Camp gets underway today and runs through Tuesday. The three-day, invite-only camp is among the most prestigious basketball events in the country and will feature 120 of the nation’s top high school prospects with endless NBA personnel in attendance. Plenty of Kentucky targets are expected to spend the next few days out at Bishop Gorman High School.

Unfortunately, we don’t have the full roster yet — that’ll be released at some point today. We’ll keep you updated the moment it drops. All Pangos games will be streamed ($) live on BallerTV.

DeMarcus Cousins is a champion

Of the T1 Taiwan League, that is. But hey, a championship is still a championship. And when the winner is someone as beloved by the Big Blue Nation as DeMarcus Cousins, we’re going to celebrate.

Cousins led the Taiwan Beer Leopards to the title victory, sweeping Taipei Taisin Mars 4-0 in the seven-game series. In the championship-clinching Game 4, Boogie dropped 24 points, 24 rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and an assist. He averaged 22 points, 19.5 rebounds, two steals, and two blocked shots for the series.

You might remember when Cousins first signed with the Beer Leopards back in January. The original contract was only scheduled to last 10 days, but he was producing at such a high level and the payoff for the franchise was a big ole trophy. Cousins, 33, now technically has two championships. He was also a member of the Los Angeles Lakers team in 2019-20 before getting waived ahead of the playoffs.

Here’s hoping we see him in Lexington again this summer for The Basketball Tournament. Rupp Arena would sell out instantly.

Travis Perry goes for 27 points in All-Star scrimmage

Yesterday at Louisville Eastern High School, incoming Kentucky freshman guard Travis Perry suited up in the 2024 Boys Kentucky All-Star Scrimmage — an annual showdown between the Bluegrass State’s top high school juniors and seniors.

In the scrimmage, Perry finished with 18 points (8-15 FG; 2-7 3PT), four steals, two rebounds, and two assists. Perry’s team came away with a dominant 124-98 victory.

“To represent the state at the highest level on the high school level, it’s something that I was really excited about,” Perry told KSR afterward. “I’m still really excited about it, today was the first step of that, kind of getting together and beating up on the juniors a little bit and repaying them after what happened to us last year. That’s the goal. When you wear the blue and white (representing the state), you want to win. That’s what we want to do.”

Kentucky’s all-time leading scorer set to participate in the @KYAllStarGame Junior vs. Senior Game at Eastern High School in Louisville pic.twitter.com/Hdi3RnV395

— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) June 1, 2024

This scrimmage serves as the leadup to the Kentucky-Indiana High School All-Star Classic next week in Lexington. Tipoff is set for Saturday, June 7 at 8:00 p.m. EST at Lexington Catholic High School. To get a chance to see Perry in person, you can purchase tickets here.

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