KSR Today: Recruiting, Bat Cats and the NBA Combine

Ah, here it is, folks. The first recruiting weekend of the summer for the KSR crew. I’m sitting in the passenger’s seat with Jacob Polacheck behind the wheel, taking I-65S and I-40W down to Memphis for Nike EYBL in what is the first live period of the current AAU cycle. All the best Nike-affiliated athletes will be at the Memphis Sports & Events Center, with top coaches and programs sitting courtside. Elsewhere, the Adidas 3SSB session will be in Mishawaka, Indiana while the Puma NXTPro Circuit is in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Mark Pope is expected to be at EYBL in Memphis, coming straight from the NBA Draft Combine — more on that in a bit — while his assistants will be dividing and conquering, as well.

Mo Williams already posted a picture from the airport as he hits the road publicly for the first time rocking Kentucky blue.

“Enroute,” he wrote on social media.

Enroute pic.twitter.com/eVZVA211h7

— Mo Williams (@mowilliams) May 14, 2026

KSR will have boots on the ground from Friday to Sunday, interviewing all of Kentucky’s top targets and gathering scoop for Big Blue Nation to devour.

You can get all of the best Kentucky basketball intel for just $1 right now, then 50% off your first year, with KSR+. We’ll be dropping it all weekend, so make sure you’re locked in with us.

Otega Oweh steals the show at the NBA Draft Combine

Speaking of Pope at the Combine, he got to see quite the run of performances before he left Chicago. Otega Oweh is currently ranked third in the entire event in scoring, averaging 20.5 points per contest through two five-on-five scrimmages. After going for 20 points on 7-12 shooting to get things started on Wednesday, he added another 21 on 6-14 from the field and 9-10 at the line while adding five rebounds and an assist.

He’s trending as a potential second-round pick with two-way upside, bringing his downhill scoring and defensive intensity to a team looking for a glue guy off the bench.

Malachi Moreno is also at the Combine, which officially wraps up on Sunday, as is Jayden Quaintance. All eyes are on the former’s draft decision, choosing between a return to Kentucky and keeping his name in to begin his NBA career.

KSR+ has the latest on that decision and how Pope is approaching things, along with potential contingency plans should Moreno decide to make the jump.

Bat Cats likely lock up NCAA Tournament bid with ranked win

It’s the biggest weekend of the season for Nick Mingione and the Bat Cats, and things couldn’t have started better in the team’s fight to punch a ticket to the Big Dance. Taking on No. 12 Arkansas in the final series before postseason play begins, Kentucky earned a 4-3 win at Kentucky Proud Park, potentially locking up a spot ahead of Selection Monday.

It was the pitching staff delivering when it mattered most, Nate Harris (3 IP, 0 H, ER, 3 K, 2 BB) setting the tone in the start and closed out by Jaxon Jelkin with the save. Ethan Hindle also delivered with a two-run bomb in the first inning to establish the early cushion.

Up next, the Cats (31-18, 13-15) look to win or sweep the series with one or both wins over the next two days, starting with a 6:30 p.m. ET first pitch on Friday. From there, it’ll be 2 p.m. ET on Saturday for the regular season finale — both on ESPN+.

Leave no doubt, Cats. Go for the kill and let the dancing begin.

Could Kentucky football flip a Louisville baseball pledge?

Will Stein has been on an absolute tear on the recruiting trail, seemingly adding another four-star by the day with every notable national analyst singing his praises at each turn. It’s been a blast and it doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon.

The RPMs are coming in quickly for 2027 four-star wide receiver Tyler Fryman, who is a Louisville baseball commit, but has a Kentucky official visit scheduled for June 12-14. He told Jacob Polacheck of KSR+ he’s looking to make a decision in the summer, but the Wildcats are trending in a hurry after UK WR coach Joe Price visited him at his high school on Thursday. There are currently four RPMs favoring the Wildcats — could he be Stein’s next Stud?

We know who could be throwing him the football in the blue and white, as top-30 recruit and No. 2 overall quarterback Jake Nawrot is already committed in 2027. That’d be a dynamic connection and build upon what is already the No. 16 overall class in the country, and only going up from here.

Polacheck just dropped a phenomenal feature on the anchor of the class and just how one of the top gunslingers in ’27 made his way to Lexington. Make sure you read that Nawrot feature here.

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That’s all for this morning, BBN, but plenty more to come on Friday and throughout the weekend — with a heavy emphasis on Kentucky recruiting. We’ll be following Pope around wherever he goes and chasing intel every step of the way, so make sure you keep your eyes and ears peeled.

Go Cats.