Kentucky

Cameron Boozer says Kentucky is 'completely different program' under Mark Pope

Published

2 years ago

April 27, 2024

Cameron Boozer says Kentucky is 'completely different program' under Mark Pope

Cameron Boozer was at the top of the priority list for Kentucky under John Calipari, the Wildcats a sneaky darkhorse to land the nation’s best frontcourt recruit in 2025. Miami (FL) had the hometown edge while the five-star prospect’s father, Carlos Boozer, is a Duke legend — the Blue Devils will be in the conversation until the end no matter what. That’s been the core three, plus Florida and UNC as other schools making a push.

And then Coach Cal left in the middle of the night to Arkansas, shaking up the basketball world at every level.

John Calipari’s move to Arkansas

“It was interesting, for sure. I wasn’t really expecting it,” Boozer told KSR. “When I first saw it, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s weird.’ I don’t think anyone was really expecting it, I was really surprised by it. I wasn’t expecting him to leave Kentucky.”

Instead of pitching Lexington and the larger-than-life brand that is Kentucky basketball, Calipari is now pitching Fayetteville and the Razorbacks. To say it’s an adjustment would be an understatement, Boozer trying to make sense of it all while hearing out the Hall of Fame coach in his transition from blue to red.

To make it a little easier on his prized recruit, Coach Cal is comparing his move to a high-profile business relocating — same product, different home.

“Cal called me the other day, said he’s the same coach, just moving headquarters,” the five-star forward said. “He said he wants to recruit us still and that he’s still very interested in us. He said it’s like when a big company moves to a new location, it’s the same thing he did.”

Where do things stand with Kentucky?

Boozer hinted that a visit to Arkansas could be in the works and things are going well with the Razorbacks in early conversations. As for Kentucky and where things stand under new head coach Mark Pope? Well, it’s complicated.

Has the No. 2 overall recruit heard from the Wildcats since the change?

“No,” he said bluntly.

What does he know about the new staff in Lexington?

“Nothing,” Boozer added.

As for his thoughts on the program itself post-Calipari, the five-star forward admitted the new Arkansas coach is really all he knows about Kentucky — he is just 16 years old, after all. Boozer was still in diapers when Coach Cal arrived in Lexington, so his entire life has been John Wall, Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, De’Aaron Fox and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

So if Pope and his staff were to express interest, it’d be an entirely different conversation and pitch. Not that he wouldn’t be receptive to the new-look Wildcats, but change is change.

“I think it’s a completely different program. I think a big part of all their success recently and the players they’ve gotten is because of Coach Cal,” Boozer said. “If (Kentucky) were to reach out, it would be a whole different recruiting process.”

Miami, Duke, UNC and Florida among schools pushing

Again, that works on Kentucky’s side, too. Pope has been relentless in his pursuit of filling out a coaching staff and debut roster, one he expects to compete at a championship level in year one. High school recruiting is simply on the back burner for now — as it should be, at least for a few weeks. Nothing personal either direction.

As for the other schools involved, Boozer again singled out Miami (FL), Duke, Florida and UNC as the schools prioritizing him most at this point.

We’ll start with the hometown Hurricanes.

“They’ve been recruiting me since freshman year,” he said. “They’ve been saying the same stuff (as other schools), that they’re interested in us and they really want us there.”

Keeping it in the state, the five-star forward’s AAU teammate and four-star SG Alex Lloyd just committed to Florida. Could he join him in Gainesville?

“(Alex) said it’s a great school and he’s excited to go,” Boozer added. “It’s a great opportunity for him. Coach (Todd) Golden is a great coach, as well, so I’m glad my dog is committed there.”

What about Duke and the opportunity to be a legacy star in Durham?

“They came to visit us,” he said of their push for him and his twin brother, Cayden. “They’ve been saying the same stuff, that they are super interested in us. They talked about some stuff with the portal, some stuff about their players. We just have good communication.”

Could he play for his father’s arch rival in Chapel Hill? The Tar Heels are making a push.

“They offered me a little while back, but they’ve been active ever since they offered me,” Boozer said. “I think they offered me last year during EYBL. They want to get us up for a visit and that they’re super interested in us.”

Nailing down a decision

His brother is a blue-chip prospect in his own right, Cayden Boozer ranked No. 16 overall and No. 3 among point guards. It’s assumed the twins will play together in college, but is that a guarantee? That remains up in the air, their decisions made separately based on their own fits and needs.

“We could go together, we could not,” the standout forward said. “At the of the day, we are doing our own process. So it’s about what school is right for us. It might be different for me, or might be the same for both of us.”

When could we see a final decision for the No. 2 overall prospect in the rising senior class?

“Probably sometime around the start of the next school season,” he said.

It’s clear Kentucky has some work to do if it wants to jump back in the race under Pope.

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Kentucky

Unexpected death of central Kentucky woman prompts community fundraising effort

Published

12 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Unexpected death of central Kentucky woman prompts community fundraising effort

MADISON COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Central Kentucky mother is working to raise money for her daughter’s funeral after the woman died unexpectedly while visiting a friend in Pennsylvania last week.

Ashley Lowery McCoy’s mother, Paula Carrier, said the community has stepped up during her time of shock, raising around $5,000 for funeral arrangements in just four days.

“She’ll look down on all of us, and she’ll be smiling. She’ll say, ‘Hey, they actually love me,’” Carrier said. “She’d be proud of everybody for stepping up. She’d see that she mattered.”

McCoy had recently left a sober living program about a month ago after battling drug addiction, according to her mother. At the same time, McCoy managed to leave an abusive relationship.

“My daughter’s seen me get clean. She wanted to get clean, and she did it,” Carrier said. “She would tell you, ‘Mom, you should be proud of me because I’m doing good,’” Carrier said.

McCoy’s pastor said she had recently given herself to God before leaving for her trip to Pennsylvania.

“You could tell that she was broken and she wants a change in life,” Senior Pastor at the Revival Hope Tabernacle church, Walter Rhodus said.

“She left this world and I mean she gets to spend eternity in heaven. That’s priceless. I mean, absolutely priceless,” the pastor said.

With Ashley’s funeral scheduled for December 19, the family is still $2,000 short of covering the costs. They have set up several donation locations in Jessamine County and Madison County.

LEX 18

“No mom should have to do that. If I don’t get it, I don’t know what I want to do, I’ll sell everything I’ve got,” Carrier said. “If I could, I’d ride back here with her. I would take my child’s place.”

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Kentucky

Kentucky Volleyball set for Final Four showdown with Wisconsin

Published

1 day ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Kentucky Volleyball set for Final Four showdown with Wisconsin

The semifinal stage is set for No. 1 seed Kentucky volleyball, as the Wildcats prepare to take on No. 3 seed Wisconsin in the NCAA Final Four on Thursday, Dec. 18, at 9:00 PM ET inside the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.

Kentucky has been dominant throughout the NCAA Tournament, including a 3–0 sweep of Wofford, a sweep against Cal Poly in the Sweet 16, and a sweep over Creighton in the Elite Eight. Their only dropped set came in the Round of 32 against UCLA. Outside of that brief hiccup, Kentucky has controlled matches from start to finish and remains undefeated at home this season.

Wisconsin arrives in Kansas City after a statement win over No. 1 Texas in the Elite Eight. The Badgers earned a measure of revenge against the Longhorns, who handed Wisconsin one of its four losses during the regular season. Kentucky accounted for Texas’ other two defeats, beating the Longhorns in both the regular season and the SEC Tournament championship.

Thursday’s matchup also carries historical weight for Big Blue Nation. Wisconsin was the team that ended Kentucky men’s basketball’s perfect 38–0 season in the 2015 Final Four, denying the Wildcats an undefeated national title.

Now, Kentucky volleyball has an opportunity to write a different ending against the Badgers on the sport’s biggest stage.

If the Wildcats advance, they’ll face the winner of the other national semifinal matchup, which sees No. 1 seed Pittsburgh, who actually handed Kentucky one of its regular-season losses, take on No. 3 seed Texas A&M, whom the Cats defeated in College Station.

With a spot in the national championship match on the line, the Wildcats will look to continue their dominant run and settle an old score. The national championship game is Sunday, Dec. 21, on ABC at 3:30 PM ET.

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Kentucky

PREVIEW: Kentucky wraps up home-and-home series with Belmont on the road

Published

2 days ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

PREVIEW: Kentucky wraps up home-and-home series with Belmont on the road

Kentucky has had a week off following their 82-55 win over Central Michigan, and now, the Cats retake the court down in Nashville to take on the Belmont Bruins. This is the second game of a home-and-home series between the two programs. Kentucky won its contest against Belmont last season by just six points at home — an 84-78 game in which the Bruins gave Kentucky all it could handle.

Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s Belmont squad and the upcoming game.

Bio Blast

Belmont is 4-5 on the season, but this isn’t your average 4-5 Missouri Valley Conference team. Three of those five losses came to AP ranked teams and Princeton, who they also lost to, was the first team outside of the AP Poll in the latest release. So, make that four of their five losses that have come to AP top 26 teams.

Amidst those losses came a defeat to McNeese. That’s their only real stinker on the season. For most of the game, Belmont kept it close against No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 18 Tennessee, No. 21 Ohio State and Princeton who, again, is right outside the AP top 25.

Kentucky is 4-0 all-time against Belmont, and all of those matches have taken place since 2014. Georgia Amoore had 23 points and five assists in last year’s win over the Bruins. Amelia Hassett had a notable outing as well, scoring 16 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and getting two steals as she played in all 40 minutes of the game.

Scouting Report

Speaking of last year’s game, guard Jailyn Banks had 23 points against the Wildcats, and she could very well put up a similar number this time around. As a junior, Banks is averaging 14.9 points, 3.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game. She has scored in double figures in all of Belmont’s games this season except for one, when she put up seven points against the Buckeyes.

Avery Strickland has been a big contributor for them as well, averaging 11.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game this season. Tuti Jones, who had 11 against Kentucky a year ago, is putting up 9.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.2 steals per game.

Hilary Fuller is another name to watch for Belmont. She’s currently averaging 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 37.5% from deep. As a team, Belmont is shooting just 30.6% from three-point range, but she’s one of their players that can get hot in a hurry from the perimeter.

Belmont Bruins roster

via espn.com

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Projected Kentucky Starters

#5 – Tonie Morgan

5-FOOT-8 – GUARD – SENIOR

12.4 PPG – 8.5 APG – 2.9 RPG

#0 – Jordan Obi

6-FOOT-1 – GUARD – GRADUATE STUDENT

12.2 PPG – 6.2 RPG – 1 APG

#32 – Amelia Hassett

6-FOOT-4 – FORWARD – SENIOR

9.7 PPG – 6.1 RPG – 2 BPG

#7 – Teonni Key

6-FOOT-5 – FORWARD – SENIOR

11.5 PPG – 5.7 RPG – 1.6 BPG

#13 – Clara Strack

6-FOOT-5 – CENTER – JUNIOR

15.2 PPG – 10.2 RPG – 2.7 BPG

Phoenix’s Prediction

Score: 76-60, Kentucky

MVP: Amelia Hassett

Belmont’s 4-5 record is deceiving, and I would expect them to give Kentucky some trouble on the road. I don’t think they’ll ever truly threaten to win the game, but at the same time, I don’t think Kentucky is going to blow this team out to the point Gabby Brooks gets any PT. Give me Amelia Hassett to put up a team-high 20 points in the win.

How to Watch/Listen

Join The Discussion on KSBoard

Want to interact with the KSR crew during tonight’s game? Consider joining the conversation on KSBoard, where we’ll be sharing live updates while also answering questions and providing real-time analysis (and probably complaining about the officiating).

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