Kentucky
Kentucky Lottery ticket gives Versailles man a big Valentine’s Day surprise
VERSAILLES, Ky. (WKYT) – A Versailles man’s Valentine’s Day got a little sweeter after a Kentucky Lottery Scratch-off ticket he purchased netted $50,000.
Jimmy Tate stopped at the Kroger in Versailles during lunch on Wednesday and bought Scratch offs as a gift for his wife to celebrate the holiday. He also decided to purchase a $30 $50,000 Cash ticket for himself.
“I actually stopped at the machine to get her a couple tickets for Valentine’s, and I decided to buy that one,” he said.
Tate told lottery officials he will usually scratch his tickets off in his truck, scratching the numbers off first and then going back to reveal the prize amounts.
“I could tell the numbers were matching up, and I was like, this is a big winner, so I went home to finish scratching.”
Tate told his wife when he got home that he had already matched six numbers and won $2,000 and thought it was going to be a bigger winner. As he continued to scratch, Tate discovered he had won the game’s $50,000 top prize.
“My wife was as excited as I was,” Tate said. “I couldn’t believe it. I’ve hit $1,000 and $2,000, but the $50,000, I just couldn’t believe it, and I was nervous as it was.”
The Woodford County man received his check for $36,000 later that afternoon at Kentucky Lottery headquarters. He told officials he and his wife plan to pay off bills and put some of the winnings towards the purchase of a house.
Kroger will receive $500 for selling the winning ticket.
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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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