Kentucky
Kentucky's Collin Chandler proposes during Wildcats' trip to New York
Kentucky’s Collin Chandler made it an even more memorable weekend for himself for the holidays in New York.
While in The Big Apple for the Wildcats’ game in the CBS Sports Classic against Ohio State, Chandler got down on a knee in Central Park and proposed.
Chandler is a freshman on the roster this season at UK. He has appeared in 10 games off of the bench and, in eight minutes a contest, is averaging 2.0 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.7 steaks, and 0.4 assists per game while shooting 41.2% from the field and 25% from three. That includes six minutes played with an assist, a steal, and a pair of fouls against the Buckeyes.
This comes after Chandler, who originally committed to Mark Pope at BYU, followed him to Lexington. However, as the No. 35 recruit in the country and a four-star in 2022, he did not immediately come to college as he went on a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sierra Leone as well as London. That makes him a 21-year-old freshman for them to continue to develop over his career there.
However, this, along with the other off-court plans, was all that went well for Kentucky in NYC. The Wildcats, coming in ranked fourth in the nation, were upset by Ohio State by a final score of 85-65. That one really got away from the Wildcats in the end, especially in the second half, in the 20-point margin as they shot just 29.8% from the field and 18.2% from three while the Buckeyes shot 56.6% overall.
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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