KSR Today: Player interviews, Peach Jam, and SEC Network Takeover

Good morning, folks! The countdown is officially underway. Kentucky men’s basketball is now just six days after from playing an actual game — yes, in the middle of July. The Wildcats will soon travel north of the border to Toronto, Canada for the 2023 GLOBL JAM event. The first game is Wednesday (and no, TV assignments have still not been announced).

For those unfamiliar with what’s going on, Kentucky will represent Team USA and play four games against U23 international competition: Germany, Canada, Team Africa, and one medal game. It’ll be a perfect opportunity for the new-look ‘Cats to develop some on-court chemistry against legitimate professionals. Will Kentucky struggle at times? Almost definitely. They’ve only been practicing for a handful of weeks and have eight fresh faces to incorporate. Aaron Bradshaw, who is expected to fill in as the starting center, won’t even make the trip as he recovers from his foot surgery.

But regardless of the results (and I tend to think Kentucky will surprise some with how well they might play), this event is a chance for the Big Blue Nation to get a sneak peek at what to expect for the 2023-24 season. Kentucky basketball in July? We love to see it.

To help prepare us for what’s to come next week, the program is giving us a chance to meet the guys. On Wednesday, we heard from a trio of ‘Cats in DJ Wagner, Reed Sheppard, and Adou Thiero. Later this morning, we’ll hear from three more: Ugonna Onyenso, Justin Edwards, and Jordan Burks. As always, KSR will have immediate coverage from the press conferences.

Miss anything from yesterday’s interviews? You know we’ve got you covered.

• Reed Sheppard surprised dad by switching to his old jersey number
• DJ Wagner not worried about his touches: “We all like to share the ball”
• Adou Thiero’s added muscle turning him into multi-positional defender

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Kentucky takes over the SEC Network

It’s SEC Network Takeover Day for the University of Kentucky Athletics. Running since the very early hours of the morning, it’s been nothing but Wildcats over on the SEC-only channel. If you’re reading this post as it goes up at 9:00 a.m. EST, you’ve got time to check out the tail end of the volleyball team’s 3-0 sweep over Florida from 2022.

All of the games on today’s schedule are from the last year or so, so don’t expect to see any grainy TV footage of the good ole days. But do expect to see some feel-good wins such as the ones over Florida (football; 2022), men’s basketball (Tennessee; 2023), and baseball (Indiana; 2023 NCAA Regional).

Kentucky’s SEC Network Takeover Schedule (all times ET)

• 12:00 AM: Men’s Basketball vs. Auburn (2023)
• 2:00 AM: SEC Storied: Win or Else
• 3:00 AM: Women’s Basketball vs. Alabama (2023)
• 5:00 AM: Men’s Tennis (2023 SEC Championship)
• 7:30 AM: Volleyball vs. Florida (2022)
• 9:30 AM: Gymnastics vs. LSU (2023)
• 11:00 AM: Football vs. Florida (2022)
• 2:00 PM: Baseball vs. Indiana (2023 NCAA Regional)
• 5:00 PM: Softball vs. Florida (2023)
• 7:00 PM: Men’s Basketball vs. Tennessee (2023)
• 9:00 PM: Football vs. Louisville (2022)

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KSR is at Peach Jam

KSR’s Jack Pilgrim and Jacob Polacheck arrived in North Augusta, SC yesterday for the annual Nike Peach Jam Tournament, where dozens of Kentucky men’s basketball targets are taking the court in what is the biggest grassroots event of the year. We’re right in the thick of the schedule, with games running all day long until the championship rounds later this weekend.

But before our friends Jack and Jacob head to the gym, they’ll take over the radio airwaves this morning. That’s right, we’ve got another guest hosting of KSR while Matt Jones is on vacation. Jack and Jacob will be joined by Shawn Smith (Jack’s Sources Say co-host) of Go Big Blue Country to talk everything Kentucky basketball from 10:00 AM-noon EST. It’ll be must-listen content for hoops fans.

As for the actual event, all of the games are livestreamed on Twitch with a handful of them even being showcased for free on the NBA App and through NBA TV. The NBA App is free to download here. You can also watch it in a web browser. If you want to go a little deeper, every Peach Jam game is available to stream on the Nike EYBL website through Twitch.

If you’re lucky, you might get to see Rajon Rondo and LeBron James share coaching duties on the sidelines… What’s that? You mean to tell me that already happened?

LeBron and Rondo coaching up Bron's Strive For Greatness AAU team 🙌👑

(via @krystenpeek)pic.twitter.com/2vOY0YcPmR

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 5, 2023

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Kentucky back in the preseason Top 25

It’s amazing how things can change in just two weeks’ time…

With Antonio Reeves back in the mix (who “officially” announced his return on Wednesday night) and West Virginia transfer Tre Mitchell added into the fold, things are certainly looking up for the Wildcats heading into Canada and the 2023-24 season. So much so that ESPN is slowly hopping back on the bandwagon.

In Jeff Borzello’s most recent update of ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early” Top 25, which was released on Wednesday morning, he bumped the Wildcats up from unranked all the way to No. 17. For what it’s worth, he projects a starting lineup consisting of Wagner, Reeves, Edwards, Mitchell, and Onyenso.

While questions remain over the experience and youth of this season’s squad, there are no doubts about the talent level in Lexington. In ESPN’s 2024 mock draft, released late last month, the Wildcats have two of the four highest-ranked college players (Justin Edwards, D.J. Wagner) and five players (Edwards, Wagner, Ugonna Onyenso, Aaron Bradshaw, Robert Dillingham) ranked inside the top 40 overall. If the newcomers can get on the same page, Calipari is spoiled for options.

Jeff Borzello, ESPN

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Crowdus pleads not guilty

We have a small update regarding Dekel Crowdus, the Kentucky wide receiver who was arrested on June 25 near the University of Kentucky’s campus in Lexington. Crowdus was charged with driving under the influence, marijuana possession, and careless driving, according to Lexington Police records, with a registered 0.074 blood alcohol content. (The legal limit in Kentucky is 0.08 for of-age drinkers.)

On Wednesday, the 20-year-old Crowdus appeared in Fayette County court for the charges. He entered a not-guilty plea, per WTVQ, and is due back on July 20. The day after his June arrest, a spokesperson for the university said the school was aware of the situation and will handle its end of the matter internally.