Kentucky lands Washington State guard Jerone Morton

photo credit: Young Kwak / AP

‘Cats pick up a key transfer

Kentucky and Mark Pope went to work to land a key need for the 26-27 season in Washington State transfer Jerone Morton.

Bio

Morton is a familiar face around the state of Kentucky, specifically Winchester where Jerone would be a stand out at George Rogers Clark (GRC). Morton would help lead the Cardinals to a 2022 KHSAA Boys Sweet Sixteen State Championship over Warren Central 43-42 and 37-1 final record in one of the best high school teams in recent memory. Jerone would average 18.7 PPG, 5.3 Reb, shooting 49.4% from the field, and 38.5% from three during his Junior season (21-22). Morton would also have a great Senior season in 22-23 where again they would make the KHSAA State Championship game this time losing to the previous runner-up Warren Central, the Cards finished the season with a 30-6 final record. During 22-23 Morton averaged 19.8 PPG, 6.6 Reb, shooting 52.4% from the field, and 30.6% from three during his Senior season.

Starting his College career

Jerone Morton would commit and sign out of high school to Morehead State where he would play his first season under now James Madison Head Coach Preston Spradlin where he would play a very small role. Morton would return to the Eagles for one more season this time under Jonathan Mattox. During his two seasons in Morehead Jerone would average 6.3 PPG, 2.2 Reb, 2 assists, shooting 38.1 % from the field, and 27.2% from three.

After his Sophomore season Jerone would decide to enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal and explore new opportunities. He would later commit to Washington State and David Riley. Morton would play his most efficient season yet averaging 7.8 PPG, 1.9 Reb, 2.6 assists shooting 43.8% from the field, and 38.7% from three. Jerone scored double figures in 11 games and scored a season high 16 points versus #9 Gonzaga.

The season ended with the Cougars losing 7 of their last 8 which was unprecedented in Morton’s career. He once again entered the NCAA transfer portal with a pull to be closer home.

Morton heard from DePaul, George Mason, and Texas A&M, as well as a few other SEC programs. One school called him the most, The Kentucky Wildcats. Morton would visit Lexington on April 24th with campus just around 40 minutes from Winchester. It didn’t take long for Jerone to pick the ‘Cats and Mark Pope who is seen as a strong versatile player on both sides of the court.

Jerone’s High School Coach Josh Cook on Jerone as a player and person

When asked about Jerone’s impact on the court Josh Cook (Jerone’s High School Head Coach) he had this to say about his for MVP “Jerone is the ultimate competitor. He is a player that plays the game the right way with the mindset of doing whatever he can to help his team to win. He is a Winner!”

I also asked about him as a person and he said “His passion and work ethic has helped him continue to climb the ladder and chase his dreams.”

Wrap up

With his possible coaching job on the line Mark Pope and staff have set up to rebuild the roster and build a team to win championships. Morton is a player whose background sets him up to have a very bright future for the Wildcats in any role given.

Highlights

Eberlein Drive upsets La Familia in round three, 71-70

Photo credit, Tonia Witt, Sports View America

Pregame Energy

Kentucky fans showed back up to Historic Memorial Coliseum for another chance to catch the 2025 La Familia squad with a host of familiar faces and a few faces BBN has adopted as their own including DJ Burns now known as the hype man and Karem Kanter, brother to former UK player Enes Kanter. The crowd would be huge all night for La Familia helping build momentum for a wild ending that saw  Anthony Clemmons of Eberlein Drive hit a late game three in the Elam Ending.

First Half 

With a team full of previous college talent and former NBA player Gabe York Eberlein Drive would be a tough task for the La Familia. Eberlein Drive went up early, leading by as many as 11 points, raining three after three and banging down low in the paint. La Familia would find some energy however, Gabe York and Terry Taylor would hit some big shots and combine for 30 points. La Familia would inch within five points entering the halftime break.

Second Half

The start of the second half would become very physical, as La Familia started fighting their way back and making a push to close the gap. DJ Burns was bringing the energy on the court and the sidelines picking up his teammates to pull off the win. La Familia would even go up as many as 8 points late. Going into the Elam Ending where the shot clock would be turned off and the target score was set to 71, La Familia was up 63-58 and needed just 8 points to secure the victory.

Elam Ending 

Eberlein Drive would pick right back up from the 1st half and go on to close in on La Familia. Archie Goodwin had a chance to seal the deal but missed the game winning free throw, shooting, in place of Willie Cauley-Stein in a bizarre turn of events that would take him out of the game with an apparent ankle injury suffered while making a play at the rim and being pushed in the back and out of bounds. Anthony Clemmons would hit a deep NBA range three after several Eberlein Drive failed attempts to seal the win and knock out La Familia for the remainder of TBT play. The team looks to make a return next year with more new faces.

Box Score

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La Familia beats War Ready 80-76 in round two

Photo credit, Tonia Witt, Sports View America

Pregame Energy

Kentucky fans showed up to the newly renovated Historic Memorial Coliseum again for another look at the 2025 La Familia squad with past players that everyone loves from the great Coach Cal days of 2015 Willie Cauley-Stein and Harrison twin to the former high energy Murray State Racer DJ Burns Jr., Fans could get attached to this squad in a hurry. The crowd would be a huge factor late in the game to help them pull past a team of former Auburn stars.

First Half 

The SEC foe with the likes of Wendell Green Jr. and others brought it to the Cats from the get go. La Familia got out to an early lead until War Ready started to heat up led by Wendell Green Jr. who was the team’s leading scorer (20 points). La Familia would pull away and lead by as many as fourteen points and before things began to get chippy between the squads ending in 7 technical fouls by the games end. Going into the half La Familia would lead War Ready 44-36.

Second Half

The game became more like a “war”, as War Ready would start to fight back and make a major push. DJ Burns was bringing the energy on the court and the sidelines picking up his teammates to pull off the win. Going into the Elam Ending where the shot clock would be turned off and the target score where 8 points were added to the pre shot clock score, La Familia was up 71-66 going into the Elam Ending.

Elam Ending 

La Familia only needed 8 points which was easier said than done War Ready even tied the game late until Khalil Whitney dove on the ground and gave it to Archie Goodwin who quickly got a shot off the glass to win the game on a game winner as his teammates would storm the court and celebrate. The final score was in favor of La Familia 80-76. Goodwin’s shot moved the Cats to the next round versus Eberlein Drive led by former NBA player Gabe York, Tuesday at 6 PM inside Historic Memorial Coliseum. 

Box Score

https://x.com/thetournament/status/1947037288157810733

La Familia beats Stroh’s Squad 105-52 to open TBT play

photo credit, Tonia Witt, Sports Veiw America

Pregame Energy

Kentucky fans packed the newly renovated Historic Memorial Coliseum for its first look at the 2025 La Familia squad with past players that everyone loves from the older days of 2012 Doron Lamb to the new age first Mark Pope squad in Lexington in Ansley Almonor, All fans could get attached to this squad. Fans were up to the Coliseum early to pack it out with over 5,000 fans of the 6200 available seating options. Even before the game many would see the blowout coming. The loud pregame hype fueled the Cats early.

 

First Half

 

However, there were some jitters to open up the game, especially with a brand new roster and brand new pieces, but plenty of former pro talent. The former Cats got to an early lead until Stroh’s squad started to heat up lead by Riley Grigsby (Seattle U) who was the team’s leading scorer (11 points). Later La Familia would pull away and pretty much seal the game as they drained three after three and steal after steal. A pair of twins were shining stars in the early goings as Aaron and Andrew Harrison were shooting very efficiently from the field. The half would come to an end as La Familia would lead Stroh’s Squad 44-29.

 

Second Half

The game became more like an all star game as La Familia would lead by more than fifty points late. Archie Goodwin was on Triple double watch down the stretch, he would come up short finishing with 17 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds. Aaron Harrison and Kahlil Whitney would both add in 14 points a piece. The former cats were far superior to the guys of Stroh’s Squad. Going into the Elam Ending where the shot clock would be turned off and the target score where 8 points were added to the pre shot clock score, La Familia was up 97-50 going into the Elam Ending.

Elam Ending 

La Familia only needed 8 points which was quickly done and the final score was 105-52, La Familia won by 53 points. Ansley Almonor would finish the game off with a game winner to move the Cats to the next round versus War Ready (Auburn) Sunday at 2:30 inside Historic Memorial Coliseum.

Box Score

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Recap: Kentucky’s 95-64 win over the LSU Tigers

photo credit Mont Dawson, Sports View America

Senior Day Festivities 

Mark Pope’s first team was led by six seniors: Jaxson Robinson, Lamont Butler, Koby Brea, Ansley Almonor, Amari Williams, and Andrew Carr. The six seniors helped lead Kentucky to a school record 7 wins over top 15 opponents and top 5 for the most Quad 1 wins in college basketball (9). The seniors were introduced one last time and sent off by the iconic song “My Old Kentucky Home” sung by Marlana VanHoose. It was then time to play as the Cats welcomed the 14-15 (3-13) LSU Tigers who were at the bottom of the SEC standings and without 3 key players and were looking to salvage what has been a rough season for Matt McMahon’s Tigers.

First Half

It was a quick start for the Cats as they opened the game on a 15-4 run lead by Amari Williams and Lamont Butler at the beginning of the first half. Matt McMahon’s Tigers would later make an early push with Kentucky’s bench coming in making it slightly closer at 18-10 with 11:47 to go in the first half. The first half was smooth sailing from then on as Kentucky would end the half on a 32-13 run led by Otega Oweh with 15 points on 7 of 9 shooting from the floor. Four other Cats would finish the half with 6 points or more to take the Cats in the half up 50-23.

Second Half and Overall Thoughts

The second half would be much the same and a cakewalk as the Cats would cruise to a win up as many as 38 points and outscoring the Tigers 45-41 in the second half. One main key in the big second half was the great defensive ball pressure as Kentucky would hold LSU to just 45% from the field and 27% from behind the arc. The Cats were led by a trio of Oweh, Almonor, and Garrison who combined for 54 points in the game. To finish the game Kentucky had four players in double figures and 8 players over the 5 point mark in the game. The Cats leading scorer would be Otega Oweh with 24 points and 8 rebounds, and to go along with Oweh it was senior forward Ansley Almonor who finished with 15 points, 6-9 shooting from the floor, and 3-4 from behind the arc.

When do the Cats get back on the floor?

Kentucky will head west to Columbia, MO next to face off with the Tigers who have beaten the likes of Kansas, Florida, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Alabama. The game will be at 12 PM and the game will be televised on ESPN inside Mizzou Arena as the Cats look to clinch the single bye for the SEC Tournament down in Nashville, TN and another statement game over the top 15 ranked Tigers.

Recap: Kentucky’s 82-61 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores 

photo credit Jeff McKinley

First Half

It was a quick start for the Cats as they opened the game on a 5-0 run led by Koby Brea and Andrew Carr at the beginning of the first half. Mark Byington’s Commodores would later make an early push trailing 15-12 into the first media timeout led by guard Chris Manon who had 4 early points. It was much the same throughout the first half with Kentucky leading much of the way until the Commodores took the lead 35-34 on a Jason Edwards jumper with 3:04 to go in the first. The Cats would keep chipping away and regain the lead and would take that momentum into the half up 41-40 led by Oklahoma transfer Otega Oweh with 11 first-half points along with a breakout first half from 21-year-old freshman Collin Chandler who had a career-high 7 points in just the first half.

Second Half and Overall Thoughts

The second half would be much different as the Cats would cruise to a win up as many as 24 points (82-68) and outscoring the Commodores 41-21 in the second half. One main key in the big second half was the great defensive ball pressure as Kentucky would hold Vanderbilt to just 29.6% from the field and only 10% from behind the arc. The Cats were led by a trio of Carr, Oweh, and Williams who all had over 8 points in just the second half. To finish the game Kentucky had four players in double figures and 7 players over the 5 point mark in the game. The Cats leading scorer would be Otega Oweh with 20 points and 7 rebounds, and to go along with Oweh it was European big man Amari Williams who finished with 17 points, 6 rebounds, and to go along with a perfect night from the floor shooting 6 of 6 from 2 and 5 of 5 from the free throw line.

When do the Cats get back on the floor?

Kentucky will head down to Tuscaloosa, Alabama next to face off with the Crimson Tide who beat the Cats earlier in Rupp 102-97 led by star duo Grant Nelson and Mark Sears who combined for 49 points in their effort to a win. The game will be at 6 PM and the game will be televised on ESPN inside Coleman Coliseum as the Cats look for a revenge statement game over the top 5 ranked Tide.

Jasper Johnson Commits to Kentucky

photo credit the Woodford Sun/Bill Caine

Mark Pope has landed a new Cat this time it’s 2025 five star guard Jasper Johnson who is ranked as a consensus top 25 player in America for the 2025 recruiting class. Johnson is the son of former Kentucky football player Denis Johnson who later payed in the NFL for a couple of season before hanging it up. Jasper Johnson played for Link Academy in Missouri last season before ultimately deciding to take his talents to Overtime Elite in Atlanta, GA for his final High School season. Johnson makes everyone better when he hits the court with a great skill set and the ability to create tough and efficient shots for him and his teammates. Jasper joins Malachi Moreno who is also a top 30 player in America for the 2025 class as Mark Pope looks to put together his first full high school recruiting class in his tenure after being hired in early April. 

Kentucky takes down Southern Miss 31-0, in a shorten game.

photo credit The University of Kentucky Athletics

The 2024 Wildcats were suppose to take the field at 7:45 versus Southern Miss to open the 2024 campaign, but mother nature got in the way of things as fans were halted from entering the stadium from the concourse at Kroger Field, it wasn’t until 7:30 that fans were allowed to sit in their seats. The kickoff was push back multiple times due to lightning reported in the area. The game was still set to be played although the kickoff wouldn’t happen until 10:05, regardless the late start time the nearly full stadium of faithful Kentucky fans were able to watch Cats kickoff the season.

After the long wait Kentucky and quarterback Brock Vandagriff received the ball first. The first drive was smooth until Vandagriff threw a pass intercepted by Dylan Lawrence of Southern Miss, at the Southern Miss 15 yard line, but this didn’t stop the Cats defense as the second play for Southern Miss quarterback Tate Rodemaker threw the ball across the middle which lead to a tipped interception from Georgia transfer Jamon Dumas-Johnson. This quick turn of events lead to Barion Brown getting a 12 yard touchdown for his first of the season finishing off a 10 play, 5 minute 54 second drive.

The game was smooth sailing the rest of the way some key plays included JQ Hardaway getting a interception in the endzone after it looked like Southern Miss would never get of the field after converting a 3rd in 18 in there own end of the field. After a shortened halftime the game was called in the 3rd quarter due to more lightning in the area at the 9:56 mark. The delay lasted 45 minuets until Kentucky, Southern Miss, and SEC officials decided to call the game off which lead to the SEC releasing this statement:

Kentucky starts the season 1-0, after the 31 point shutout, Kentucky’s Brock Vandagriff lead the way finishing 12 of 18 with 169 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception, he also impressed with his legs finishing up with 5 rushes for 35 yards. Running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye finished up with 8 rushes for 59 yards and a touchdown in place of Ohio State transfer running back Chip Trayanum who’s out with a broken hand. The leading receiver of the night was North Texas transfer Ja’Mori Maclin who caught 2 balls for 66 yards, Barion Brown also pitched in 4 reception for 28 yards and 2 touchdown in the season opener. Brad White’s defense was stout for the night giving up only 5 rush yards, 126 passing yards, and ending up with two interceptions from Dumas-Johnson and Hardaway.

Kentucky takes host to South Carolina who is coming off a rough 23-19 win over Old Dominion in there opener in Columbia, The game will be on ABC at 3:30 PM, Saturday, September 7th, Kentucky opens as a 9.5 point favorite over the Gamecocks.

How good can Kentucky’s defense really be?

photo credit The University of Kentucky Athletics

by: Lukas Witt

Kentucky is less than a week away from their opening game at Kroger Field scheduled for August 31st versus the Southern Miss Golden Eagles but many have questions about the Kentucky defensive and how Defensive Coordinator Brad White can help take the next step with what’s expected to be the best defense of the Stoops era and maybe even the best in schools history. Let’s take a look at how good they can really be.

Kentucky enters the 2024 season returning 9 defensive starters, which ranked 43rd in total defense in 2023 and lead the SEC in returning production on the defensive side of the ball. Kentucky’s defense also brings in a couple of big-time transfers including Jamon “Pop” Dumas-Johnson out of Georgia, who in 2022 was named First-Team All-American by Sporting News and ESPN, and landed on the Associated Press Second-Team All-American, as just a sophomore and helped lead the Bulldogs to a National Championship win over TCU, 65-7.

In the secondary we have Michigan transfer DJ Waller Jr. coming in as a projected starter to go along with Preseason First Team All-SEC Defensive Back, and SEC interceptions leader (5), Maxwell Hairston. DJ Waller Jr. was a true freshman last season on Michigan’s 2023 National Championship team. The former top 500 player totaled 11 tackles and 1 pass deflection for the Wolverines. Safety’s, Zion Childress and Jordan Lovett also return for the Wildcats bringing in a total of 89 tackles, 3 pass deflections, and 3 interceptions in the 2023 season.

The linebacking corps consisting of a couple returners in JJ Weaver, D’Eryk Jackson, and Alex Afari Jr., who were a solid group helping the Cats to finish 17th in rush defense in the 2023 season and combining for 70 starts. Finally, known as one of the best groups in the SEC, the defensive line, who is lead by pre-season First Team All-American, Preseason First Team All-SEC, and projected top 10 pick Deone Walker who has a career 8.5 sacks in his first two seasons, Tre’vonn Rybka a 5th year senior comes into 2024 with a career 6.5 TFL, and 2 sacks in his five years in Lexington, and former North Carolina lineman Keeshawn Silver comes in after a respectable sophmore season finishing with 17 tackles, and 2 sacks.

Brad White’s crew looks to bring a edge to themselves in the 2024 season but fans will finally get to see them in action on Caturday at Kroger Field with kickoff slated for 7:45pm and on the SEC Network for the first glimpse of the Cats.

Malachi Moreno commits to Kentucky

photo credit Tonia Witt Photo

Mark Pope and Kentucky gets their first big piece of the 2025 recruiting class with the addition of five star Big Malachi Moreno a top three center in his class and top 30 player overall per 247sports who brings an elite skill set with the ability to block shots and rebound the basketball, with a offensive skill set that is still raw with growth still to come at the college level Moreno has the ability to stretch the floor and shoot the three but has not proven it to be as consistent as it’s a work in progress. Mark Pope looks to bring in another fellow five star and in-state prospect Jasper Johnson, who first played his high school basketball at Woodford County and later transferred to Link Academy, in Missouri, who is focusing on a main three of Kentucky, North Carolina, and Alabama. The recruitment has gone back-and-forth in the last couple of days as Alabama was seen as the favorite, but now he’s starting to lean back to Kentucky as of late by many media members around the recruitment. This is a great start to Mark Pope‘s first recruiting class in the Pope era as he looks to bring a new style of recruiting that Kentucky fans have never seen before.