Today on KSR: Kerry Blackshear Jr. visits Kentucky

Good morning, BBN! Rise and shine!

Today marks the official start of “Kerry Blackshear Jr. Watch,” as the top graduate transfer in the nation is expected to be on campus starting this afternoon.

Kerry Blackshear Jr. visits

Blackshear, a 6-foot-11 forward out of Orlando, FL, has already taken visits to Florida, Arkansas, and Tennessee since withdrawing from the NBA Draft.

Now, the Virginia Tech grad transfer is headed to Lexington for what could be his very last visit before making a decision.

In fact, the Kentucky coaching staff feels there is a chance the talented big man won’t leave without signing on the dotted line.

Update on KBJ: He will arrive in Lexington later today, close towards night time, i’m being told. More news, UK has hope that he could commit on the visit. Very important two days here for John Calipari. https://t.co/jNQnKwGqBC

— Jake (@jakeweingarten) June 18, 2019

Blackshear, a Second-Team All-ACC selection last season, averaged 14.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for the Hokies. He also led Virginia Tech with 28 blocked shots and ranked third with 83 total assists.

In case you forgot what Blackshear is capable of, take a look at his highlights below:

We’ll have more on the big decision in Pilgrim’s Insider Notes here in just a few hours.

The NBA Draft is in two days

At the University of Kentucky, there are two graduation dates. The first comes in early May when players walk across the stage at Rupp Arena and earn their diplomas. And then we have graduation No. 2 in June, where former Wildcat walk across the stage at the NBA Draft to shake the hand of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and put on the hat of their new team.

The latter is set to happen in just two days.

Yesterday afternoon, Kentucky head coach John Calipari took to Twitter to let everyone know what he thought of his players moving on to the next level:

If you know me, you know I don’t like to look in the rearview mirror very much, but I’m sitting here this morning thinking about graduation day later this week. It marks the end of our season. We won 30 games and were an overtime game away from the Final Four. Individual players grew all season.

During the season it’s about our team. Once it’s over, it’s about those kids, and now we’ve got another group of players who are about to have their dreams come true. I’m proud that our kids have gone into that league prepared mentally to compete at the highest level. It’s obvious they have.

I can remember talking about (Jamal Murray) and (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) in recent years on the impact they would have. I was pretty on point. Now we’ve got three guys in the green room, and I’m telling you, when we look back next year, we’re going to see the impact they had on the teams they’re drafted by. In most cases, our players overdeliver on their draft position over a period of time, and I expect this draft class to do the same.

And let me say this: If you have a young team, you should take (Reid Travis). You talk about a professional who can make a difference, Reid is that guy. He’s physically ready to play in that league and he’s a great locker room guy.

All three Wildcats are expected to fall in the middle of the first round, with two of them potentially landing in the late-lottery.

Here’s a roundup of the latest mocks, with previous positions listed in parentheses.

	PJ Washington	Tyler Herro	Keldon Johnson
ESPN Top 100	16	18	19
ESPN (Updated 6/17)	13. Miami (13)	14. Boston (16)	18. Indiana (23)
The Athletic (Updated 6/15)	18. Indiana (18)	15. Detroit (15)	22. Boston (22)
Sports Illustrated (Updated 6/17)	12. Charlotte (13)	13. Miami (14)	15. Detroit (15)
Matt Norlander (Updated 6/17)	17. Atlanta (17)	14. Boston (14)	20. Boston (20)
Gary Parrish (Updated 6/15)	13. Miami (13)	15. Detroit (15)	19. San Antonio (19)
Kyle Boone (Updated 6/17)	17. Atlanta (11)	16. Orlando (16)	20. Boston (25)

Monday was move-in day for the Kentucky football freshmen

Kentucky football’s impressive recruiting class for 2019 has officially arrived on campus.

The official UK football Twitter account released a video of Monday’s move-in festivities, Kentucky offensive line coach John Schlarman and defensive coordinator Brad White helped the newest Wildcats get situated in their respective dorm rooms.

Take a look:

Welcome to your new Kentucky home, fellas!#BringIt pic.twitter.com/VujXnzb55W

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) June 17, 2019

Welcome to Lexington, fellas. Now it’s time to get to work.

KSR in an hour

One of your favorite days of the year for the KSR radio show is finally here.

From 10 a.m. to noon, the Kentucky football coaching staff is set to host the show, with Vince Marrow taking complete control for the entire first hour. The Big Dog will be bringing guests with him from his side of the ball, including an appearance from star wide receiver Lynn Bowden.

From there, defensive coordinator Brad White will take over for Marrow as the show’s host in the second hour. White will have Kash Daniel by his side for some of the show, along with a few other special guests throughout the hour.

UK head coach Mark Stoops will also join the program at some point to make sure his assistants and his players are on their best behavior.

You won’t want to miss it.

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