Today on KSR: Tokyo Cats set for big Sunday of Olympic action

The 2020 (or 2021) Summer Olympics are officially off and running and today brings the busiest day yet for former Cats representing their respective countries.

Already this morning, the University of Kentucky had representatives in fencing, swimming, softball, and basketball. Lee Kiefer, a Lexington native and student at UK’s College of Medicine, became the first American to win gold in the individual foil in fencing, while rising senior Will Shaner took home gold in the men’s 10-meter air rifle.

https://kentuckysportsradio.com/main/kentuckys-lee-kiefer-will-shaner-win-gold-at-tokyo-olympics/

If you missed the early events, tonight you will get more chances to watch what will technically be Monday action in Tokyo. Here’s how you’ll be able to watch the Cats:

–FENCING – 8:00 PM: Men’s individual foil qualifying rounds (Gerek Meinhardt, USA) – Live Stream
— SWIMMING – 10:53 PM: Women’s 100m backstroke semifinals (Ali Galyer, New Zealand) – Live Stream
— SOFTBALL – 1:30 AM (Monday): Italy (Alexia Lacatena) vs. Canada – Live Stream
— FENCING – 5:00 AM (Monday): Men’s individual foil FINALS (Gerek Meinhardt, USA) – Live Stream

Now onto the news, you need to know stateside to start your day:

UK offensive line target to announce commitment this afternoon

Top-500 Class of 2022 prospect Daughtry Richardson will announce his college commitment this afternoon.

The Miami native announced on Twitter yesterday that he would be making his announcement on his Instagram today at 3:00 pm.

I will be committing July 25th on IG live! At 3pm!

— Daughtry ”DRICH” Richardson (@DaughtryRichar) July 19, 2021

The 24/7 Sports crystal ball is trending towards Florida State as the pick, but Richardson’s profile picture has him in a Miami jersey.

Could the “Big Blue Wall” pull off a minor upset and add another piece? We will find out this afternoon.

MBB offers five-star guard Cason Wallace

On Saturday, five-star guard Cason Wallace told KSR that he had received an offer from Kentucky.

Wallace is a 6-foot-4, 185-pound guard out of Richardson, TX, a northern suburb of Dallas.

The guard is listed as the No. 18 overall prospect in the 2022 247Sports Composite Rankings, with Rivals listing him at No. 16 overall, 247Sports listing him at No. 19 overall, and ESPN listing him at No. 28 overall.

Wallace has burst onto the scene with strong performances at this month’s Peach Jam. At the moment, Tennessee and Texas are believed to be the favorites but KSR’s Jack Pilgrim reports that the Kentucky offer will have a major impact on that.

For more on Wallace and the offer, click the story below for Jack’s full report.

https://kentuckysportsradio.com/basketball-2/2022-five-star-guard-cason-wallace-earns-offer-from-kentucky/

Skyy Clark updates on successful knee surgery

Basketball commit Skyy Clark released an update this weekend on his recent knee surgery.

The guard is one of the top-15 players in the Class of 2022 and was the Cats’ first commit in that class.

Earlier month, he announced he tore his ACL and after the swelling went down had surgery recently.

In the update following the surgery, Clark said that his knee didn’t suffer any further damage other than the ACL tear and appeared to be in good health.

To read more from Clark and his dad, click here.

Emoni Bates cuts Kentucky from consideration

In other basketball recruiting news, yesterday, No. 2 overall prospect Emoni Bates cut Kentucky from consideration.

Bates was originally committed to Michigan State, but decommitted earlier this year. The new decision for the guard will come from either NBA G-League, Overtime Elite, NBL, Oregon, Memphis, Michigan State, Baylor, or Miami.

For more on Bates, including where KSR thinks he might be heading, click here.

UK Baseball’s John Rhodes signs with Orioles

Kentucky baseball outfielder John Rhodes officially began his professional career on Saturday after signing a $1.375 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles. The deal came over $500,000 more than slot value.

3rd-rder John Rhodes signs w/@Orioles for $1.375 million (pick 76 value = $818,200). Kentucky OF, hit for average in past, more for power in 2021, solid speed & arm, fits RF profile well. @MLBDraft

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 24, 2021

After a stellar shortened freshman season, Rhodes’ average dipped this year for the Cats. He hit for a .251 average with 11 home runs and 36 runs batted in. Despite the less than ideal average, his OPS was above .900 which is a good measuring stick for sustained success in a season.

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That is the news you need to know to start your Sunday. Here’s to enjoying another day of the Olympics and for me, hopefully enjoying a Reds sweep of the Cardinals. Go Cats!