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Men's Basketball

ESPN Analyst Recklessly Speculates That DJ Wagner Could Transfer to Louisville

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1 year ago

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ESPN analyst Jay Williams creates rumor of DJ Wagner transferring to Louisville.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

During the broadcast of the UConn-Indiana game on Sunday, former Duke star and current television analyst Jay Williams had some interesting things to say. Undoubtedly the most interesting came as he began to talk about the upcoming game between Louisville and Texas. Still unrelated to Kentucky, Williams began to speculate that Kentucky guard DJ Wagner could consider transferring to Louisville, with no basis of information.

“Milt Wagner, who played at Louisville, one of the top players of all time. You know, his grandson, DJ Wagner, plays for Kentucky,” Jay Williams said. “There are a lot of guards on Kentucky’s roster who are really good. They can go. You wonder how that situation plays out over time, does DJ find himself back at Louisville, I’m not saying that he can’t be a star for Kentucky because he might. But it leaves things out there wondering if things aren’t going their way they’ll get out and go somewhere else.”

Not only is this based on no information, it is extremely unfair and dangerous to Wagner and his family to put something like this out. Coming out of high school, Wagner had his choice between Kentucky and Louisville, having ties with both. Rather than following his grandfather to Louisville, he chose to go to Kentucky and become one of the next John Calipari guards to be drafted. Even more so, Wagner will be a one-and-done player barring something unseen.

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Four games in, it is no secret Wagner has struggled this far, averaging 9.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting just 31.9% from the field overall. That said, he is young and still has plenty of time to turn it around.

Following Kentucky’s game against Stonehill, John Calipari talked about those struggles. “You gotta believe in you, as much as I believe in you,” Calipari said he told the players, including Wagner. Calipari also discussed the expectations of Kentucky, which he

“There’s an expectation,” Calipari said. I tell them, ‘It’s not changing, you gotta learn to deal with it’. It’s not going away, you’re at Kentucky. The guys that fight through that end up going [to the NBA] and they succeed.”

If there is any player that was prepared to meet those expectations, it is Wagner. Long considered to be the No. 1 player in the 2023 class, he is expected to be the first third-generation NBA player, joining his grandfather and father who were both college stars before their careers in the NBA.

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He has lived with high expectations his entire life, and has always played with fire. Combining the birthright expectations and his fight, Wagner will find himself and he does, Kentucky will hit another level.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

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3 days ago

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November 18, 2024

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Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
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The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

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“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

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5 days ago

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November 16, 2024

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Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
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John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

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“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

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ESPN’s Jay Williams Gives Message to Kentucky Fans, “You’re Not Going to Like It…”

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6 days ago

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November 15, 2024

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ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams gives a message to Kentucky fans after the Wildcats win over Duke. "You won't like it."
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Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.

Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.

At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.

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“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”

“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”

William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.

Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.

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