KSR Today: Monitoring Kentucky at the NBA Combine

Good morning. Hopefully, it’s off to a great start, better than the one I experienced on Monday. A dead car battery at 6:30 a.m. will wake you up faster than Folger’s. Today I am waking up with you to discuss the latest around the world of the Kentucky Wildcats. Right now, the center of the BBN universe appears to be in Chicago at the NBA Combine.

There are four players with connections to the Cats — Otega Oweh, Jayden Quaintance, Malachi Moreno, and Milan Momcilovic — who are testing their salt for NBA front offices in Chicago. Admittedly, it’s difficult to discern if the first round of testing helped or hurt anybody’s draft stock.

It works differently in the NFL. When Jalen Farmer posted some of the best test scores of any player at his position, we all quickly learned there was a reason why he left Kentucky with a year of eligibility remaining. It’s a reason why he was picked in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. The tape only tells part of the story for college football players. In basketball, what you see is what you get.

I don’t think anyone was surprised to see that Oweh was one of the best shooters off the dribble at the NBA Combine. Nor was it shocking when Momcilovic knocked down 64% of his three-point attempts against air. That’s what each player does best.

We’ll learn more lessons about these prospects once the dust settles from the NBA Combine and front office officials begin talking. Until then, we’re playing a waiting game of sorts to see if any of these players takes significant strides, or steps back, from the week in Chicago.

NBA Combine Scrimmages Begin

ESPN2’s broadcast of today’s 5-on-5 scrimmages will tip off at 2 p.m. ET. Otega Oweh will be suiting up for Team Weems. He was supposed to be joined by his former Kentucky teammate, but we learned on Monday that Malachi Moreno will not be participating in the exhibition. You shouldn’t expect to see Momcilovic in action, either.

Jack Pilgrim and Shawn Smith dished on the latest about Moreno’s NBA Draft decision on the latest edition of Sources Say.

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Hear from the Kentucky Football Coach

Will Stein clearly has a “no days off” policy at the Joe Craft Football Training Facility. Even though the players are spending some time with family this month, the Kentucky head coach is keeping busy by chatting it up with the media.

He started his Tuesday by sparking a debate that gets the people going in the city of Louisville. When should the Governor’s Cup be played? He told Michael Bennett that he’d love to see the game played on its original date in week one to start the season.

Later in the day, he joined an Atlanta sports radio show, where he was asked about the state of NIL affairs at Kentucky. The long-term effects of John Calipari and Mark Stoops’ spat still linger throughout the South. Stein shared that he’s such a Kentucky basketball fan that he enjoys muting the TV to listen to Tom Leach during games. He then explained that he’s doing whatever he can to keep up in the college football arm’s race.

“I control what I can, and I know what we have is enough currently, but everybody’s pushing. The $35 million-dollar rosters used to be the highest. Now it’s like $50 [million]. Right? And it’s not stopping. So everybody thinks it’s going to end, and all this stuff. Like, show me that it’s going to stop. If it’s going to stop, then I think everybody would be like, ‘Whoa, put a hold on it,’ but nobody is, so continue to push. And it is what it is right now,” Stein said.

Will Stein is a Competitor, Through and Through

When you hear him speak through a microphone, his competitiveness is evident. Peter Burns experienced that firsthand. The SEC Network host made a trip to Lexington last week to shoot a feature for the network, and he teamed up with the Kentucky head coach in a game of pickleball. The two faced off against Chris Doering, and Stein’s wife, Darby.

“We’re playing pickleball, and we’re down to Doering and Will’s wife, Darby,” Burns shared with KSR. “We’re filming the whole thing, and he pulls me aside. He’s like, ‘Dude, get your head right.’ It wasn’t BS. He got competitive in it. All of a sudden, I’m like, hell yeah! Let’s go beat their ass!”

That’s exactly what happened. You can see the whole comeback later this summer in Welcome to the SEC. Until then, enjoy our conversation with a No Huddle! edition of 11 Personnel.

11 Personnel Hits the Road

The Kentucky football guys have been cooped up for far too long. That is why we’re taking the show on the road to Meade County. Come ride the Green Wave and talk some ball with us at TD’s Pizza & Wings in Brandenburg, starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Look Ahead to the Preakness Stakes

For the second straight year, the second leg of the Triple Crown will not include the Kentucky Derby winner. Golden Tempo’s absence and a change of scenery to Laurel Park make this a fascinating Preakness Stakes. PTF from the In the Money Media is returning to the KSR YouTube Channel to break down a wide-open Triple Crown race at 11 a.m. ET.