Collin Chandler was the first recruiting victory for new Kentucky head coach Mark Pope.

Although Chandler hasn’t played organized basketball in over two years while taking a two-year mission to Sierra Leone and London, he’s a former Top 40 recruit from the 2022 class with plenty of upside.

Now that he’s finished with his mission and is back in the United States, Chandler isn’t wasting any time getting back into playing shape. On Tuesday, he posted to his Instagram Story a picture of him getting up shots in a gym while on vacation in Hawaii with the caption “Oh I’ve missed you”.

Time to knock that rust off.

Once signed with Pope to play at BYU, Chandler flipped his commitment to Kentucky on April 16. He arrived home in Utah from his mission just a few days ago and was greeted at the Salt Lake City airport by Pope and assistant coach Cody Fueger. He’s one of two incoming freshmen (Travis Perry) for Pope and Co. going into the 2024-25 season.

So what exactly is Kentucky getting in the 6-foot-4, 20-year-old rookie shooting guard? KSR’s Steven Peake and Brandon Ramsey dove into the film to find out. Watch below.

More Kentucky News and Views on the KSR YouTube Channel

Kentucky Sports Radio has expanded its coverage of the Wildcats in the most ridiculous manner possible on our YouTube Channel. Here you will be able to find interviews with coaches and players, as well as commentary from the KSR crew. From Rapid Reactions following big events to our lengthy lineup of live shows, subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel to stay up to date on everything happening around the Big Blue Nation.

After taking a visit to Southern California a couple of weeks ago, Kentucky transfer DJ Wagner will now go on a trip to see his former head coach.

According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Wagner is expected to visit Arkansas this weekend. The Razorbacks are now coached by John Calipari, who recently took over the job after spending the last 15 seasons at Kentucky. Calipari has already brought over two of his former players (Adou Thiero, Zvonimir Ivisic) along with three high school commits (Boogie Fland, Karter Knox, Billy Richmond) to Fayetteville since leaving UK.

As a freshman in 2023-24, Wagner averaged 9.9 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per game for the Wildcats. While battling injuries throughout the season, the 6-foot-3 guard shot 40.5 percent from the field, 29.2 percent from deep, and 76.6 percent from the line.

A five-star recruit out of high school, Wagner was expected to be a one-and-done prospect at the college level. However, an up-and-down rookie season in Lexington has him returning for at least a sophomore campaign. He has three years of college eligibility remaining.

Following Calipari to Arkansas was always viewed as the likely option for Wagner once he entered his name into the transfer portal on April 15 — three days after Mark Pope was hired as Calipari’s replacement at Kentucky. Wagner’s father, Dajuan, was a first-round NBA Draft pick in 2002 after playing one season under Calipari at Memphis.

Southern California has made its pitch (and Florida will reportedly throw its hat into the ring, as well), but a reunion in Fayetteville this weekend could sway DJ to link up with his former college coach once again.

By Steve Flairty
NKyTribune columnist

As previously mentioned here, I’m not a historian by profession, but I love to learn all I can about Kentucky history. I do it generally by reading books and articles, as well as viewing videos and documentaries. Occasionally, I visit museums or historical sites.

For 2024, I set a goal of spending 200 hours in history study of our state, and I log my time daily. That works out to an average of about thirty-four minutes per day to stay on pace, and the process helps keep me motivated.

Some of what I cover in informal research is less than interesting, but much is fascinating. I thought it would be fun to share some of the better sources I’ve recently read or viewed. Hopefully, a few might pique your interest in the state’s past. It seems like my interest stays piqued. Below are some source ideas that may interest you.

The best way I can describe Steven Walker’s book, Kentucky’s First Senator: The Life and Times of John Brown, 1757-1837 (Butler Books, 2022) is that it is a well-researched tome about an important early figure in the state’s political history. By tome, I mean big — to the tune of 936 pages, plus it has over a dozen pictures of portraits in frames.

Though the endless details can become tedious at times, it’s chockful of events surrounding the birth of America’s government and the transition of a part of Virginia to the fifteenth state, Kentucky. And through those adventurous times, John Brown is shown to be an able and character-driven person for both his country and new state. For students of the Commonwealth’s heritage, this should be a resource worth keeping close by for reference.

The Incident at Otter Creek (Acclaim Press, 2023), By Ed Ford, is an interesting bit of fiction that actually gives a nice overview of 1700s Kentucky before it became a state. The book’s author tells the story from the point of view of a contemporary Central Kentucky physician who mysteriously is sent back to the historical period of Daniel Boone, early Boonesborough, and war with hostile Shawnees. It only takes a bit of the reader’s imagination to drop oneself into the flow, with elements of romance, adventure, and people acting bravely and for each other in standing up to danger and hardship.

Online videos of Kentucky history have been a focus of mine for the last year or so. The Kentucky History Channel, is a favorite. Here are some of the site’s offerings I’ve recently watched:

There are, I’m guessing, hundreds of videos at the Kentucky History Channel available for viewing, and new ones are continually being created.

I also enjoy archived episodes of Kentucky Educational Television’s Kentucky Life that deal specifically with the state’s history. A wonderful selection I recently watched was a program of interviews with the state’s World War II veterans.

Another historical source of archived interviews of Kentuckians is The Louis Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky, online at kentuckyoralhistory.org. It’s a goldmine of information for those looking for “they were there” individuals in historical events. Topics are: veterans/conflicts, Appalachia, agriculture, communities, diversity, education, gender, quilts, politics/public policy, and others. I’ve recently been listening to a lot of World War II veterans interviews and look forward to using the resource for other topics, too.

If possible, getting out of the house and visiting places in Kentucky should certainly be a big part of one’s history research. Here is a site that lists what they call the “top 50 best museums in the state”. Though I don’t necessarily agree with their specific billing, it gives plenty of ideas for places to explore. My favorite is the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, headquarters for the Kentucky Historical Society Foundation. For local history centers, I like the Bluegrass Heritage Museum, in Winchester, the Cynthiana Harrison County Museum, and the Pendleton County Historical & Genealogical Society, in Butler. I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t visited Covington’s Behringer-Crawford Museum, but certainly have heard good things about it.

Studying our state’s heritage gives a good baseline to compare to present-day Kentucky to measure our progress as a society, plus it gives intelligent perspective to our opinions about important issues.

Steve Flairty is a teacher, public speaker and an author of seven books: a biography of Kentucky Afield host Tim Farmer and six in the Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes series, including a kids’ version. Steve’s “Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes #5,” was released in 2019. Steve is a senior correspondent for Kentucky Monthly, a weekly NKyTribune columnist and a former member of the Kentucky Humanities Council Speakers Bureau. Contact him at sflairty2001@yahoo.com or visit his Facebook page, “Kentucky in Common: Word Sketches in Tribute.” (Steve’s photo by Connie McDonald)