Kentucky
What Kentucky basketball commit Billy Richmond III said about being back in Memphis
After being handed the game MVP plaque following his team’s overtime win Friday at Memphis Hoopfest, Billy Richmond III ran to the locker room, jumping and screaming.
His teammates were right behind him celebrating.
Richmond scored 23 points in leading Camden High School (New Jersey) past Houston 71-66. But this win was different for the Panthers and for Richmond, who is from Memphis. The five-star prospect came back home and took down one of his former rival schools.
“It was a hard, dirty, grit-and-grind game and I love that,” said Richmond, who is ranked No. 23 in the country in the Class of 2024. “I just wanted to be a part of that. It was just fun playing against people I knew and people in the stands watching us, coming down here to showcase our talent.”
It’s the first of two games Richmond and Camden High School will play this weekend in the Memphis Hoopfest. The Panthers (8-1) will play Whitehaven (10-6) on Saturday night at Bartlett. Tip-off is at 6:30 at McDonald Insurance Arena.
That game will be a little more personal for Richmond, who is back in Memphis for the second time in seven months since he transferred to Camden after his sophomore season at Memphis East.
“I’m ready for that one,” he said. “I went to East and that’s a rivalry and all my brothers go there. It’s going to be a great game. It’s going to be a lot of trash-talking and all that. But at the end of the day we’re just competing.”
He recently committed to Kentucky, saying it was a close decision between John Calipari’s Wildcats and the Memphis Tigers and Penny Hardaway.
“It came down to where I knew I would fit in and just where I trust the coaches a lot and they trust me,” Richmond said.
His father, Billy Richmond Jr., played at Memphis when Calipari was the coach there. The elder Richmond, who attended Friday’s game, had criticized Memphis fans over the school’s NIL, adding a twist in the recruiting process.
Richmond said that his dad having played for both the Tigers and Calipari had no effect on his decision to choose Kentucky. He also said that even though he didn’t pick Memphis, Hardaway is like “an uncle” to him.
“Penny is like blood to me,” Richmond said. “I grew up around him. It was hard not to go there.”
He’s in town for the Memphis Hoopfest and heads back to New Jersey on Sunday. Until then, he’s cherishing the time at home and looking to snag one more win and complete the sweep of Memphis area teams.
“I just want to get a win, that’s about it,” he said. “Come to Memphis, go 2-0, eat some good food, spend some time with my family and play some great basketball.”
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Reach Wynston Wilcox at wwilcox@gannett.com and on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @wynstonw__.
As we continue to go position group by position group and project what each unit will look like for the 2026 Kentucky Wildcats, we will now look at the safety room. This position is led by two of the most experienced safeties in the conference with Ty Bryant and Florida transfer Jordan Castell. The safety position is heavily relied upon in defensive coordinator Jay Bateman’s scheme. Having experience is paramount for this group, as Coach Bateman will call creative looks for disguised coverages which will create plenty of safety rotations pre-snap and post-snap.
Starters
I think it is safe to assume that the new staff made it a priority to retain Ty Bryant and Willie Rodriguez more than any other returning players on the roster. Bryant was voted second team All-SEC by coaches last season and is one of the best safeties in the conference. He was the team’s leading tackler a year ago with 76 total and led the SEC with four interceptions. Bryant is a do-it-all safety that has a nose for the football and is expected to be the leader of the defense this fall.
Jordan Castell transferred over from the Florida Gators, where he started over 30 games in his career. Castell is a long, rangy safety that knows what it takes to play at an SEC level. He started as a true freshman at Florida and earned freshman All-SEC honors in 2023. Over his three seasons with the Gators, Castell has totaled 169 tackles, 13 pass breakups and three interceptions.
If things go as planned, these two will rarely come off the field this season. Bryant has natural playmaking ability on the back end as a ball hawking safety and is coming off the best season of his career. Castell has ideal length for the position and has shown the ability to make big time plays in this conference. Bryant and Castell form one of the best safety tandems in the SEC and will be a key to the defensive success in 2026.
Backups
- Dyllon Williams
- Jesse Anderson
Dyllon Williams is a 6’2, 191-pound redshirt freshman that got his feet wet last season in limited snaps. Williams only saw action against Eastern Michigan, Florida and Vanderbilt a year ago. Ideally, I don’t expect him to see much of an increase in playing time this season but it will be interesting to see how he progresses when he does get on the field. Coach Bateman does like to throw three safety looks at opposing offenses, but that will likely be manned by the slot corner position group.
Jesse Anderson is a transfer from Pitt that brings some experience to the depth of this room. In three seasons at Pitt, he has received snaps in 23 games as a rotational safety. I wouldn’t expect his role to change, he will be a rotational guy in this group as well and brings much needed experience in a backup role. Anderson is on the smaller side at 6’0, 186-pounds.
Like I previously mentioned, Coach Bateman likes to keep offenses off balance with three safety looks in coverage. However, I expect the slot corners to be heavily involved in those formations, which will be Aaron Gates and Jaden Smith. We will group the slot corners in with the cornerbacks when we preview that position group. Overall, this safety room is a strength of the team although it is hinged on the experienced duo of Bryant and Castell.
13 things more likely to happen than winning the Powerball jackpot
Hoping to win the Powerball jackpot? Here are 13 things more likely to happen than becoming an instant millionaire.
The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Saturday, May 9, 2026 winning numbers for each game.
Cash Ball
08-15-20-35, Cash Ball: 21
Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Evening: 4-1-5
Midday: 3-6-9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 9-6-4-3
Midday: 5-1-4-5
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball
15-41-46-47-56, Powerball: 22, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball Double Play
06-27-58-61-65, Powerball: 14
Millionaire for Life
08-11-17-29-49, Bonus: 02
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Courier Journal digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.
Top headlines of the week, May 8 2026
Here are some stories you may have missed this week in central Ohio.
Authorities said a body recovered May 4 from the Ohio River in northeast Kentucky has been identified as a Columbus man, Dispatch news partner NBC4/WMCH-TV reported.
Lewis County Sheriff Johnny Bivens said the body has been identified as Jason D. Frisbie, 38, of Columbus. Bivens said authorities in Kentucky worked with Ohio officials to identify Frisbie this week.
Bivens said Lewis County took a call around 4:30 p.m. May 4 about a body in the river in Vanceburg, Kentucky, a few miles south of Ohio’s Shawnee State Park. Bivens said responding agencies took the body to the Kentucky State Medical Examiner’s Office.
Lewis County authorities asked for public help identifying the body. On May 9, Bivens confirmed Frisbie’s identity after working with Ohio officials and local responders.
Bivens said the death remains under investigation, and authorities did not offer information about a suspected cause.
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