KSR Today: No Offseason for Kentucky

by:Nick Roush•04/09/25•

RoushKSR

Kentucky HC Mark Pope — Jordan Prather | Imagn Images

If you follow the major college sports calendar, Tuesday was the first day of the offseason. It certainly did not feel like that for Kentucky fans.

Roster-building season begins before the final college basketball game is tipped off and on Tuesday it brought us back to a familiar name. About 11 months ago, Big Blue Nation was closely monitoring Jayden Quaintance. The five-star talent considered sticking with his commitment to Kentucky, despite John Calipari’s departure, but ultimately decided not to spend his first year of college basketball in a UK uniform.

Mark Pope proved that persistence pays off. Quaintance shared on Tuesday that he is transferring from Arizona State to Kentucky and joined KSR to share why.

“The fanbase for Kentucky is probably one of the best — probably is the best in college basketball, period. And the coach showed a lot of interest,” Quaintance said. “He seems like he genuinely thought I fit really well in their program. I feel like I fit well into their play style and offense. I just thought it was pretty good for me.”

There was plenty of early offseason anxiety around Big Blue Nation. Even though Pope put together a damn good team from the transfer portal in year one, it took a little time for this batch of commitments to roll in. Pope made a statement by securing a phenomenal talent to the frontcourt.

Quaintance Addresses Position of Need, with an Asterisk

The offseason addition was huge for a variety of reasons. Pope proved he could reel in a big fish. From a practical standpoint, Kentucky’s biggest weakness in SEC play was a lack of athleticism in the frontcourt. Quaintance has all of that and more, if he’s 100% healthy. That’s a big if right now.

He suffered a torn ACL near the end of his freshman season at Arizona State. Quaintance has undergone surgery and is rehabbing that knee, with a target date to return in September. His health will be closely monitored throughout the offseason. We can’t predict the future, but we can tell you that he will not be Kentucky’s last transfer portal addition.

The Cats have commitments from Quaintance and Mouhamed Dioubate in the frontcourt, along with wing Kam Williams. Matt Jones shared that Pope is looking for one more portal player this offseason who can consistently knock down shots.

Got thoughts? Take advantage of our KSR+ Introductory Offer and continue the conversation on KSBoard, the KSR Message Board. $1 for a week.

Kentucky Baseball vs. Louisville

It’s the offseason for some, but not the Bat Cats. Kentucky made the drive down I-64 for an electric rivalry game against Louisville.

Kentucky let a late-scoring opportunity get away when they couldn’t capitalize on a lead-off double, but a ninth-inning recovery kept the Bat Cats alive. Louisville led off the bottom with a double after the ball bounced off the centerfielder’s glove at the warning track. The Card didn’t stay on second for long. He was gunned down on a failed bunt attempt to clear the bags, ultimately forcing extra innings.

Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning

By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.

Kentucky took command in the tenth, striking first to put the pressure on the Cards. Instead of folding, UofL delivered two runs, overtaking Kentucky 4-3 in extra innings. Daniel Hager has the full recap from Jim Patterson Stadium.

Kentucky Softball at Home

The Kentucky softball team is hitting the road this weekend for a few non-conference games in the northeast. Before packing their bags, they have a mid-week game at John Cropp Stadium. Kentucky will host Marshall at 6 PM EST

More Updates from Spring Football Practice

The Kentucky football team will only put on pads three more times this spring. It all culminates with Saturday’s Spring Showcase, a public practice fans can attend at Kroger Field, beginning at 10 AM. This afternoon, Adam Luckett will provide updates from Bush Hamdan and the Kentucky offense before we get together for a new edition of 11 Personnel at 3 PM.

Kentucky Derby Leaderboard is Set

The Blue Grass Stakes delivered high-stakes theater at Keeneland. Burnham Square went from last to first, edging out East Avenue at the wire by a nose to secure his second graded stakes victory of the spring. Trained by Ian Wilkes, Burnham Square is now atop the Road to Kentucky Derby Leaderboard, which is all but finalized, with just a few points dished out in this upcoming Saturday’s Lexington Stakes at Keeneland.

Your 151st Kentucky Derby Leaderboard! 🌹🏇 pic.twitter.com/86XAt1uWp7
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) April 9, 2025

A Doughsaster at Papa John’s

While most of our attention has been on the rising floodwaters across Kentucky, that isn’t the only water-related mess in the Commonwealth. The dumpsters near Papa John’s HQ were overflowing with pizza dough, making one hilarious mess.

👀 Papa John’s Louisville headquarters is off Plantside Drive, where a EF-3 tornado struck last week followed by days of heavy rain.

Photo shared by Cory Taylor pic.twitter.com/pt7aLgvUWR
— Kayla Moody (@KaylaMoody) April 8, 2025

Par 3 Contest at The Masters

Augusta National is making its final preparations for this year’s edition of The Masters. If you’re a junkie, ESPN can help you get your fix. Here’s what will be served as an appetizer for the tradition unlike any other.

The champions gathered for dinner on Tuesday. This picture certainly says a thousand words.