Kentucky beat writer for
@sports_cj
. Fervent rap music fan, but it doesn't define me, since I like Hall & Oates, too. Into anime + aliens. Road & car geek. OVO.
Some professional news: I've accepted a position at the Courier Journal (
@courierjournal
/
@sports_cj
) in Louisville. I'm the new Kentucky beat writer. My primary coverage areas will be the men's basketball + football programs, while other teams on campus also will be highlighted.
Mel Tucker was waiting outside of the locker room for Suzy Merchant. When she finally walked off the court and into the hallway, Tucker hugged her before picking her up in a joyful bearhug. Beating Michigan means a lot, ya know?
The way Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon are talking so somberly leads you to believe Ryan Newman’s situation is very serious. (Gordon reminds me DW after the 2001 500, when Dale Earnhardt died.) Just awful .
"Why would I transfer? I didn't feel like I was excluded or I was erased. I always felt like I had a chance and a shot. … And I've been doing everything I can to maximize that."
Work — hard work — is why RB Elijah Collins remains at Michigan State.
No surprise here at all, but Hopcat (
@HopCat
) of East Lansing reupped its NIL deal with Michigan State QB Payton Thorne today. The real news: The burger named after Thorne won't only be on the East Lansing menu, but available at every Hopcat location in Michigan.
Some good news for Michigan State: Defensive back Jaden Mangham has been discharged from Sparrow Hospital. He suffered a harrowing injury in the first half of today’s game versus Ohio State.
Keon Coleman says he's so confident in himself coming down with a ball in a one-on-one matchup, he doesn't view it as a "50/50 ball." He says he's "going to come down with it nine times out of 10." Tells the quarterback, "Just throw it. I'll be down there somewhere."
K-State HC Chris Klieman not pleased with all these midseason firings of coaches and coordinators. "I get it. It's part of the business. But we're asking kids not to give up on our team and enter the transfer portal, but we're giving up and firing coaches (in season)."
Draymond Green says he can't recall Tom Izzo ever being more motivated. "Here comes a championship," Green said. "It's on the way. I have no doubt in my mind."
That Cartier Diarra mid-air-assist-while-saving-the-ball-from-going-out-of-bounds happened right in front of me. And it might be one of the best plays I’ve ever seen in person, regardless of sport. Amazing.
#kstatembb
#kstatevsbaylor
West Virginia's Bob Huggins, on moving from the Big East to the Big 12: "We came from the Big East, where they never called fouls. When we heard whistles, we wondered what was going on. ... (The Big East) was less basketball and more roller derby."
Skylar Thompson was diplomatic. Some teammates were tight lipped. But it was clear: K-State truly believed that Gavin Potter's late hit on Thompson was no accident. It was a straight-up cheap shot.
Michigan State running back Jalen Berger stuck around signing autographs and posing for photos with fans outside Spartan Stadium after he wrapped up his postgame media interview.
Here's the latest I've got on Baylor coach Scott Drew and the Kentucky search as of Wednesday afternoon: Trusted source tells me Drew is "really struggling with the decision" whether to remain at Baylor or leave for Kentucky.
To be fair to Gavin Potter on the late hit on Skylar Thompson, do you have any idea how hard it is to slow down when you're wearing a K-State hoodie AND a Tech Tech shirt under his KU uniform? Cut him some slack folks.
Tragic news to report: Matthew Snyder, the 22-year-old grandson of K-State football head coach Bill Snyder and son of assistant coach Sean Snyder, died Wednesday
This game is going to be forever remembered for Lincoln Riley bending time and space to somehow, someway, get the officials to review a play a second time.
Aaron Bradshaw seems to be as good a teammate as you could ever ask for. Always such a positive influence even though his own season (to this point) hasn’t unfolded as well he had hoped.
Davis Smith, son of Michigan State legend Steve Smith, entered the transfer portal April 1. He announced his return to MSU on Monday. In that time away, Davis (
@DavisSatchel1
) acquired a greater appreciation for what he already knew: Leaving home is hard.
I like that Kansas didn't monkey around in overtime. They went for two. Yes, it's bananas Texas lost. And while KU might not get any votes in next week's polls for this win, the Jayhawks certainly have some assassins on their squad.
Joshua Youngblood. Malik Knowles. Walter Neil. AJ Parker. Jonathan Alexander. These are just a few of the Kansas State football players who reacted to a controversial tweet sent by a student. K-State Athletics stands by, and behind, its student-athletes.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski: "That floor was slippery on both ends. I don't know what it was. I know it wasn't the shoes. Nike called me and made sure I said it wasn't the shoes."
Sure I'm forgetting countless players. Sure of it. But man, off the top of my head I can't recall ever seeing a player get more emotional on senior day.
K-State signee Gaven Haselhorst has been the best player in the Kansas Shrine Bowl so far. And I don't think it's particularly close. The East team just can't block him.
Chris Klieman: "We moved everybody in the secondary to a different position and had three days of practice. Was it perfect? No." But praised all those who shifted to those spots and got the job done Saturday.
A check from Kobe Bryant meant 20 kids attended Boys & Girls Club of Manhattan's summer program free of charge last year. It circled back to Bryant's relationship with "Tex" Winter. Here's the story of how it came to be.
Kansas State defensive back Jonathan Alexander (
@CatchaplayJ
) spoke to The Mercury Saturday night about how the football players' protest came to be. "We're just wanting (K-State) to say, 'We don't respect his point of view," Alexander said.
I've been asked about this a few times, so I want to clear the air: No, I don't view this (or any other interaction I've had with John Calipari) as him trying to belittle me or be antagonistic. I enjoy the banter and it's all in good fun. I cover sports, people! It should be fun!
"I put everything I had into being here," Gabe Brown said. "Playing at Michigan State, I put everything into it for Coach (Tom) Izzo, my teammates, for the staff — for everybody." If Sunday was Brown's final appearance as a Spartan, what a way to go out.
Michael Bishop and Vince Young just participated in a “legends toss” where they threw to fans. Think Bishop and Young both talked about being robbed of the Heisman Trophy back in the day? 🤔
Some professional news: Today was my last in the office for The Mercury (
@MERCnewsroom
/
@MERCsports
). I will cover the men's basketball game versus Texas Tech on Saturday, which will mark my final day on the K-State beat.
My goodness this photo of K-State WR Tyrone Howell moments after he threw a punch and was ejected from Saturday’s game. (Photo from Mercury photographer Dave Mayes.)
Gavin Potter would have tackled Deuce Vaughn on the TD. Problem was, Potter had to removed his K-State hoodie and then his Texas Tech shirt first before he could focus on making the tackle.
K-STATE RECORD: Per
@KennyLannou
, that last play will be credited as a sack for Felix Anudike-Uzomah. He now has 12.0 this fall, setting a single-season K-State record. Oh, and he has four more games (and potentially a bowl) to add to that tally.
Steve Smith on MSU men's basketball: "The (NCAA) tournament is like practice. We know they're going to the tournament. And we know we're going to be in the running at the end. ... I just hope people understand what we've had here, this isn't the norm."
2023 Michigan State hoops commit Gehrig Normand is from Texas. "I've told my parents, 'Sorry mom and dad, but I'm happy. I'm leaving because I'm going to play for one of the best coaches in the country and one of the best teams in the country.'"
I don't want folks to throw tomatoes at me for this, but ... is it possible Devin Anctil has been K-State's most consistent player this year? Just continues to pin opponents deep in their own territory. And he just did it again.
John Calipari references part of the reason he has to leave his postgame presser so quickly is the fact Kentucky has "an early game" Saturday against Alabama. It tips off at 4 p.m., BTW.
I've made this comparison multiple times, but it bears repeating often: DaJuan Gordon reminds me of the basketball version of Joshua Youngblood. Both play with such a passion and reckless abandon. And that's what is going to make them GREAT at Kansas State.
Michael Block, the low PGA club pro at this year’s PGA Championship, played a round at Valhalla Golf Club today. He shot a 63, tying the course record set by Jose Maria Olazabal at the 2000 PGA Championship.
Michigan State offensive line coach Chris Kapolovic says fourth-year junior Spencer Brown always is "the first one in the building" looking to get more work in each day.
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said he's already seen an improvement in the concentration and focus in the wide receiver room since the hire of new position coach Daikiel Shorts.
BREAKING: Multiple sources told The Mercury Thursday that Sean Snyder is headed to Southern Cal. It brings his 26-year run with Kansas State's football program to a close.
I just keep finding more and more noteworthy stats to tweet from K-State’s Texas Bowl win. Here’s another one: Deuce Vaughn had 8 yards on seven carries after the first quarter. He had 138 yards and three TDs on his final 14 rushing attempts.
#KStateFB
Give this Kansas State team a lot of credit: It has suffered a lot of close losses this season and fell down big in 1st half tonight. But doggone it, these Cats just never stop fighting. They might not win again, but they sure don't give up. A credit to Bruce Weber and his staff.
No K-State sophomore ever has scored more points in a single season than Deuce Vaughn. That TD gave him 108, passing Darren Sproles' 104 points in 2002.
Xavier Booker, the Indiana forward who's one of the top players in the country in the 2023 class, commits to Michigan State. He's the second commit in the 2023 cycle for the Spartans, joining PG Jeremy Fears. Rivals has him ranked No. 1 nationally, and 247Sports puts him at No. 3
Deuce Vaughn (
@C_Vaughn22
) will have more than 80 friends and family members — including his father, Christopher (
@CoachVaughn_DBs
) — in the stands at AT&T Stadium today. For many of them, it will be the first time they ever see him play in person.
Bryce Weiler (
@BryceWeiler
) organized it. Darien Harris (
@DHarris_45
) coordinated it. Tuesday was a day to remember for all involved with the Beautiful Lives Project's event, which featured Michigan State's football program.
K-State consistently knocks it out of the park when it switches up it’s uniform combinations. Doesn’t matter what sport we’re talking about. Football. Men’s basketball. Baseball. Another winner here.
K-State DB Tee Denson said that when a former student sent out a controversial tweet last summer, he immediately texted Chris Klieman about how upset he was. Said Klieman responded within minutes at 3 in the morning. "That's how much Coach K cares about his players," DEnson said.
Most underrated part of this video: Dean Wade with the quick double-trigger finger point at the trophy after Brown says, "We've got this big trophy right here."
Pretty sobering answer from Oscar Tshiebwe when asked whether Kentucky's team chemistry is where it needs to be. "No, no. I think we've got a lot of work we need to do."