Kentucky
'No one believed me' | Two Northern Kentucky residents win big on separate Kentucky Lottery tickets
DAYTON, Ky — The wallets of two Northern Kentucky residents just got a lot heavier after the two won separate cash prizes from the Kentucky Lottery last month.
A Dayton man who wishes to remain anonymous was just one number away from winning the $121 million Powerball jackpot in September. His ticket matched the four white ball numbers and the Powerball in the Sept. 9 drawing, winning him $50,000.
The man told Kentucky Lottery officials he bought the “Kentucky Combo,” which consists of five different draw game tickets including the Powerball with numbers selected by the lottery machine, while at work.
He then picked the tickets up at The Cigarette & Beer Outlet in Dayton.
The next day, his girlfriend checked the ticket and told him he had won $50,000. He took home $36,000 after taxes.
“I was one number away from retirement,” he told officials.
The man said he plans to use the money to pay off debt and buy a car.
He wasn’t the only Dayton resident celebrating a big win, though.
A woman who also wishes to remain anonymous won $431,775 on the Precious 7’s Fast Play game. She told lottery officials she regularly plays Fast Play after someone told her they always won on the game.
“I play Precious 7’s, that’s my game,” she told officials. “I just knew I was going to win.”
She won big when she bought her ticket while her husband was getting gas at the Dayton Market on Sept. 20. She told officials she told her husband to get in the car before he was finished pumping gas once she saw her ticket.
“No one believed me,” she told officials. “They all kept saying it was a scam, that it’s a fraud but I knew it was a winner.”
After taxes, she took home a check for $310,878. She said she plans to use the money to pay off bills and help her family.
The Cigarette & Beer Outlet in Dayton will get $500 for selling the man’s winning ticket, while Dayton Market gets $4,317.75 for its ticket.
Kentucky
Kentucky is poised to land either Donnie Freeman or Sebastian Rancik this weekend, per report
Jones posted on Twitter that “Kentucky will have (absent a major change) either Freeman or Rancik by tomorrow,” while also noting the Wildcats still need to add another shooter and another big to round out the roster.
One of the top targets is Donnie Freeman, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound sophomore forward transferring from Syracuse. Freeman arrived in Lexington on Tuesday night and began his visit on Wednesday before leaving without a commitment. While there was concern he could land at UConn, that visit has since been canceled, leaving Kentucky and St. John’s as the top teams.
Freeman averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game last season, while adding nearly a block and a steal per contest. He shot 47.4% from the field but 30.2% from 3-point range across 23 games.
The other option is Sebastian Rancik, a 6-foot-11, 220-pound sophomore forward transferring from Colorado. Rancik visited Kentucky starting Wednesday through Thursday and brings a versatile skill set, averaging 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting 33.1% from 3.
Either Freeman or Rancik would provide a significant boost at the power forward position for head coach Mark Pope. Kentucky has already added guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins in the portal.
Kentucky football coach Will Stein reflects on new position
Will Stein was officially introduced to fans and media as the head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats, replacing Mark Stoops.
LEXINGTON — Kentucky football had its first spring game under new coach Will Stein at Kroger Field on Saturday.
The offense, in blue jerseys, had its moments. So too the defense, donning white uniforms.
Ultimately, the blue squad earned a 23-18 victory in a game called just after noon because of inclement weather.
Stein admitted he “got emotional” as he charged onto the field prior to kickoff.
“I know it wasn’t a real game, but when I ran on the field, I definitely — man, I felt it,” he said. “It was like a wave running over me. And very, very, just cool.”
While it doesn’t count in the standings, Stein walked away pleased.
“I think we got a lot of really good work,” he said. “That’s the goal of spring is to improve with fundamentals and technique, learn how to practice, learn what winning edges that we need throughout spring to go into summer and fall and prepare the team for play. And we came out of the scrimmage clean. There (were) no injuries, which to me, that’s the biggest win of the day. I could (not) care less about the score.
“If we come out clean, that’s good. The Wildcats won.”
New starting QB Kenny Minchey looked about as expected, with sharp passes evened out by moments of inconsistency. Martels Carter Jr., a defensive back who is lining up at running back this spring, scored a touchdown and had several nice runs.
And the defense forced multiple three-and-outs and also picked off one Minchey pass on a two-point conversion.
This story will be updated.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
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