Good morning, friends. I know we tried speaking cooler weather into existence yesterday morning, but it unfortunately did not work. Yesterday was brutal and today is looking to be just as hot with a high of 92 by the early afternoon. Until then, do your best to stay cool and join us for the ride throughout the day here on KSR where we’ve got plenty of fun stuff to talk about — recruiting updates, interviews, maybe even a commitment? Never say never.
Keep that coffee flowing with me as we did into some morning notes and updates, shall we?
Cats advance at U.S. Olympic Trials
The Kentucky track and field program continues to dominate on the national and world stages, opening the 2024 United States Olympic Team Trials with nine Wildcats advancing on day one.
Ethan Shalaway (2018) punched a ticket to the men’s javelin throw final with a mark of 231’1”/70.44 meters, opening the door for a chance to make Team USA on Sunday. Elsewhere, Kennedy Lightner and Brain Faust (2023) advanced to the semifinals of the men’s 400 meters, the former finishing eighth with a personal best 45.17 in the first round.
Alexis Homs (2022) cruised in the women’s 400 meters with a 51.05 to finish sixth in the automatic qualifier while senior Jania Martin qualified for the semifinal after finishing 24th overall. Alumnae Celera Barnes (2021), Abby Steiner (2022) and Javianne Oliver (2017) also qualified for Saturday’s 100M semifinal with 10th-, 17th-, and 18th-place finishes, respectively.
Senior Keaton Daniel wrapped up the night by advancing to the pole vault final on Sunday by clearing 18’8.25”/5.70 meters.
Take a look at Saturday’s schedule in Eugene:
Nicholas Smith is a Cat
How about a Yahtzee to get the weekend off to a hot start? 6-7, 255-pound edge rusher Nicholas Smith made it official on Friday, the Walnut Grove (Loganville, GA) native telling KSR+ he has committed to Kentucky.
“I’ve already been up there before,” Smith said. “It’s for my family to see where I’m going to be playing for the next four years. They want to see how it is. I’m not going to say I’ve seen it all, but I’ve seen it pretty much. I’m ready to be a Wildcat.”
He chose the Wildcats over offers from Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, UCF, West Virginia and Cincinnati, among others.
Smith is the 10th commit in Kentucky’s 2025 recruiting class, joining four-star RB Marquise Davis, four-star S Martels Carter, four-star WR Quintin Simmons, four-star OT Darrin Strey, three-star CB Andrew Purcell, three-star WR Ja’Kayden Ferguson, three-star QBs Stone Saunders and Brennen Ward and three-star OL Tucker Kattus.
Kentucky hits the recruiting trail
Switching over to recruiting on the hardwood, Mark Pope and his assistant coaches hit the trail this weekend to open the June Scholastic Live Period. Who did they watch?
Pope made the short drive to Shelbyville, KY for the KABC Titans Shootout to watch five-star point guard Jasper Johnson and four-star center Malachi Moreno, the former making his return to Woodford County after a year away at Link Academy (MO) to drop 13 points in a 52-36 win over Fern Creek (KY). As for the latter, he put up a dominant double-double effort with the Kentucky head coach in attendance, coming off an unofficial visit to Lexington earlier in the week.
As for Kentucky associate head coach Alvin Brooks, he was at the TABC Boys Showcase (Irving, TX) to check out the likes of four-star Shelton Henderson, who went for 28 points in Bellaire’s one-point win over Killeen. Meanwhile, assistant coach Cody Fueger double-dipped in the Washington metropolitan area to attend DC Live and DMV Live in Washington, DC and Hyattsville, MD, respectively. Among the standouts in attendance? Sidwell Friends School’s Acaden Lewis, Combine Academy’s Kaden Magwood and Highland School’s Nate Ament, the latter going for an absurd 41 points, 27 rebounds and six blocks.
Who will the Kentucky coaches watch on day two? We’ll find out shortly.
Mark Pope chats with John Wall
The audio portion of the interview has been out for a few days, but now, the video cut of Pope’s sitdown with Kentucky legend John Wall is available for your viewing pleasure. It’s a conversation that includes the new UK head coach telling the former Wildcat he needs his help in Lexington to mentor the next era of Kentucky basketball greats, understanding “the weight of John and his legacy here, what he means to this program.”
Wall’s response? A promise to return to campus in year one, hopefully to continue his annual tradition of being the ‘Y’ at Rupp Arena for a game.
“I think it’s gonna be an amazing experience for you,” Wall told Pope. “I’m happy for you to have that job, I’m definitely happy to have the opportunity to come out and support.”
Pope’s promise? He’s going to make Wall proud.
“We’re going to make you proud of your alma mater,” he said. “That’s my goal, I take that really personally and seriously.”
Check out the full interview below:
Enjoy your Saturday, Big Blue Nation. Stay out of the heat (or find yourself in and/or around a body of water, preferably with an ice-cold beer in your hand.
Go Cats.
The post KSR Today: Olympic Trials, recruiting news and John Wall appeared first on On3.