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__.
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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