Good morning, folks! I’m writing you from just outside of Charlotte, NC. Once I finish up this beautiful morning post, I’ll make the short drive south to Rock Hill, SC, where I’ll spend (alongside KSR’s Brandon Ramsey) the next few days at the adidas 3SSB Boys Palmetto Road Championship. College coaches are allowed inside the gym starting today and running through Sunday. Mark Pope and his assistants should be floating in and out of Rock Hill as they get a first-hand look at some of the best high school players in the country.
Who will the Kentucky staff have its eyes on? A handful of big-name targets will suit up at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center, such as Tay Kinney, Deron Rippey Jr., Anthony Thompson, Caleb Holt, and many more. My goal? To watch as much basketball and interview as many recruits as possible. Stay tuned over the next several days to Kentucky Sports Radio dot com for their thoughts on the Wildcats and their overall recruitment. It’s going to be a busy — but fun! — few days in Rock Hill.
[PREVIEW: Kentucky targets set to compete in this week’s adidas 3SSB Championships]
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Kentucky out of the race for Jason Crowe Jr.
Jason Crowe Jr., a five-star class of 2026 guard, was once assumed to be a major Kentucky lean. The Wildcats’ assistant coach, Jason Hart, holds a longstanding relationship with the Crowe family. A commitment date was recently set for July 18. But On3’s Joe Tipton broke news earlier this week that a new school has emerged as the favorite — and that Kentucky isn’t even a contender at this stage.
“I was actually quite surprised when I dug a little bit and was able to break the whole thing open,” Tipton told Jacob Polacheck of KSR+. “Now, the frontrunner is actually Mizzou. Kentucky is not even really in the picture. It’s Mizzou. They’re kind of the leader in the clubhouse. USC and Texas are the other schools to watch.”
With Crowe likely heading elsewhere, Mark Pope and Co. will (and probably already did long ago) shift priorities to another backcourt recruit. Kinney and Rippey Jr., who I’ll be watching today in Rock Hill, are two of the top targets on the board.
More NCAA Tournament expansion talk
It certainly feels inevitable at this point: the NCAA Tournament will expand from its current 68-team field. How many teams will be added (72? 76? MORE?), and at what point will it go into effect? The NCAA Selection Committee held discussions about tournament expansion on Wednesday and plans to dive into the details once again later today.
An amended college sports bill
Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reports a new bill, called the SCORE Act, is “on track to progress further than any all-encompassing athlete compensation legislation”. It could be introduced as early as today and would be another major development in the wake of the House v. NCAA settlement.
“The Act, an amended version obtained by Yahoo Sports, codifies the settlement, grants liability protection, preempts state NIL laws & includes anti-employment clause,” Dellenger wrote on social media. “It brings regulation to agents & requires schools provide athlete degree completion, post-grad healthcare, etc.”
Devin Booker got PAID
Remember how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander set an NBA record for highest annual average salary ($71.25 million) just last week? Well, Devin Booker has broken that record less than 10 days later. The Phoenix Suns’ All-Star guard has reportedly signed a two-year, $145 million extension with the franchise that will keep him in Arizona through the 2029-30 season. Booker will make an average of $72.25 million in the 2028-29 and 2029-30 seasons.
A BBN wedding has stolen our hearts
Former Kentucky cheerleaders Autumn and Jacob Burnett got married last month at Warrenwood Manor in Danville. They celebrated the best way they knew how: by building a human pyramid in full wedding attire with the UK fight song playing in the background. In total, there were seven former Wildcat cheerleaders in this one wedding. Remembering their old routines was like riding a bicycle.
NBA Summer League in Las Vegas begins today
10 days of nonstop basketball in Sin City begin this afternoon. Kentucky will be heavily featured in this year’s Las Vegas NBA Summer League, with over a dozen former ‘Cats named to rosters. Some will be looking to prove themselves above this level of competition, while others will be looking to make a name for themselves in front of NBA scouts and personnel.
All five players from last season’s Kentucky team (Butler, Brea, Carr, Robinson, and Williams) will take the floor. We’ve also got Bronny James vs. Cooper Flagg at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN for those interested in seeing a “primetime” Summer League showdown. Below is today’s schedule for the UK alums in action.
| TIME (ET) | HOME | AWAY | TV/STREAMING |
| 3:30 PM | New Orleans Pelicans (Antonio Reeves, Keion Brooks) | Minnesota Timberwolves (Rob Dillingham) | ESPN2, ESPN+ |
| 5:00 PM | Cleveland Cavaliers (Jaxson Robinson) | Indiana Pacers | NBATV, ESPN+ |
| 9:30 PM | Denver Nuggets | Milwaukee Bucks (Chris Livingston) | NBATV, ESPN+ |
| 10:00 PM | San Antonio Spurs | Philadelphia 76ers (Justin Edwards) | ESPN, ESPN+ |
[13 Kentucky guys set to play in the NBA Summer League]
Hal Mumme returning to the sidelines
Now 73 years old, former Kentucky football head coach Hal Mumme isn’t ready to call it a career just yet. Division III Centenary in Shreveport, LA, has hired Mumme to be the program’s newest offensive coordinator/QB coach under head coach Byron Dawson. The godfather of the Air Raid offense still has a little bit left in the tank.
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