Good morning, folks! Happy Friday Jr. to everyone in the Big Blue Nation. We’re to the point in the offseason where we’re double-dipping in the transfer portal — both football and basketball portal windows are currently open. It’s keeping us all plenty busy.
But before we dive into this morning’s news and notes, I have to mention today’s special guests on the KSR Radio Show. Drew Franklin and Ryan Lemond will be joined at KSBar by former Wildcats Doron Lamb and DeAndre Liggins. Lamb and Liggins were recently announced as new additions to La Familia for this summer’s TBT event.
How long until Drew asks “who up?” to Lamb? The radio crew goes live at 10:00 a.m. ET on WLAP.
Hardley Gilmore is back (and more FB portal news)
After a few months at Nebraska, talented wide receiver Hardley Gilmore has transferred back to Kentucky. The 6-foot-1 sophomore pass-catcher spent his freshman season at UK before making the move to Nebraska in late December. But the Florida native was dismissed by the Cornhuskers earlier this month, hopped back into the portal on Wednesday, and found himself back in Lexington by Thursday morning.
Across five games as a 17-year-old true freshman in 2024, Gilmore recorded six catches for 153 yards and one touchdown.
Gilmore is the lone incoming spring portal addition so far. The window only officially opened on Wednesday morning, though. Kentucky will be in the market to add some more pieces. A handful of depth pieces have already elected to transfer, but not anyone who was expected to start in the fall.
Outgoing portal players
- DL Kendrick Gilbert
- OL Daniel Mincey
- OL Anfernee Crease
- CB Jiquavious “Quavo” Marshall
- IOL Marc Nave
- OL Wallace Unamba
- NG Dennious Jackson
[2025 Kentucky Football Spring Transfer Portal Tracker]
More MBB portal targets emerge
After missing out on sharpshooting guard Lamar Wilkerson (Indiana) earlier this week, Kentucky head coach Mark Pope is looking elsewhere for his final roster piece(s). A handful of new names emerged on Wednesday with varying levels of reported interest. Two of them are international prospects.
- Jamir Watkins – G – Florida State – 18.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, 42.7 FG%, 32.1 3PT%
- Treysen Eaglestaff – G – North Dakota – 18.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, 41.6 FG%, 35.9 3PT%
- Harun Zrno – G – KK Slavija (Serbia) – 17.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.6 APG, 50 FG%, 43.7 3PTG%
- Dame Sarr – G – FC Barcelona (Spain) – 5.8 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.7 APG, 52.1 FG%, 42.9 3PT%
- Jaiden Glover – G – St. John’s – 2.2 PPG, 0.2 RPG, 0.3 APG, 34.7 FG%, 33.3 3PT%
Watkins was named Second-Team All-ACC last season, while Eaglestaff backed off his decision to transfer to South Carolina yesterday morning. Kentucky was involved with Eaglestaff the first time around and is back in the mix the second time. Pope currently has 12 scholarship players in place for the 2025-26 season (that’s including Otega Oweh, who is also testing the NBA Draft waters). He has a couple of spots to fill.
Memorial Coliseum’s Grand Re-Opening
Memorial Coliseum recently underwent an $82 million renovation, officially re-opening last August just in time for the 2024-25 basketball season. But the finishing touches were still being added ever since. Those are finally done. And now, UK is hosting an official official grand re-opening of the historic building (which originally opened 75 years ago in 1950) that will take place next Saturday (April 26).
Everyone in the Lexington community is invited to the event, which will start with a party outside from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET featuring food trucks, local vendors, activities, and a display of military vehicles to honor the facility’s namesake. The formal grand re-opening ceremony takes place inside Historic Memorial Coliseum from 1-2 p.m., featuring distinguished speakers from the University of Kentucky, special military guests, a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony, and performances from the 202nd Army Band of the Kentucky National Guard. Doors will open at noon, and tickets are free, but must be claimed while supplies last.
Steven Peake HATES Indiana (and for good reason)
The Big Blue Nation is finally getting a taste of what the KSR crew has known for years: Steven Peake has some excellent (and sometimes scorching hot) takes. None might be better, though, than his rant on the Indiana men’s basketball program. Steven joined Nick Roush and TJ Walker on Wednesday’s edition of Kentucky Roll Call to knock the Hoosiers’ program down a peg or three. And he did so by whipping out some insane reference pulls.
UCLA expected to win the Nico Iamaleava “sweepstakes”
The big free agent in the spring transfer portal is set to head home. Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava is taking his Tennessee pay cut and heading to the Big Ten. Second-year UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster now looks like he has a new face of the franchise. The Athletic is reporting that Iamaleava will most likely be a Bruin next season.
Multiple Wildcats advance in NBA Play-In
The real NBA Playoffs begin Saturday, but we first have to decide the seven and eight seeds before we get there. In the Eastern and Western Conference 9/10 matchups last night, several former Kentucky players lived to see another day. Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, and the Miami Heat took down the Chicago Bulls 109-90 while Anthony Davis, PJ Washington, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Sacramento Kings 120-106. The Bulls and Kings have officially been eliminated from the postseason.
Herro was the star of the night after making his first eight shots, finishing with 38 points, five rebounds, and four assists on 13-19 shooting. Adebayo chipped in 14 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists. Miami will now face the Atlanta Hawks on Friday with the Eastern Conference 8-seed on the line.
Meanwhile, Davis posted 27 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks for Dallas. Washington added 17 points, nine rebounds, and four assists as the Mavericks will now play the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday for the Western Conference 8-seed.
The post KSR Today: Hardley Gilmore, transfer portal news, and Memorial Coliseum appeared first on On3.