LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — It’s time to report to the locker room, change ends of the court and drag the infield.
It’s halftime of the local sports scene.
My favorite band is not available, so I better bring the entertainment. Here goes:
What were the 5 Biggest Stories on the Kentuckiana sports scene over the first six months of 2024? What were the 5 Most Underrated Stories? What will be the 5 Biggest Stories for the rest of the year?
Should be a perfect way to get us to the real fireworks Thursday — the Biggest Stories on Monday, the Most Underrated Stories Tuesday and the Biggest Looming Stories on Wednesday.
Fire up the grill, toss on the burgers and veggies (don’t forget the seasoning salts or your followers on X will lose their minds) and choose your music. Here goes.
1. Kenny Payne departs, Pat Kelsey arrives at Louisville basketball.
North Carolina, Duke, Virginia, Clemson, North Carolina State, Miami, Pitt, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Syracuse have made the NCAA Tournament from the Atlantic Coast Conference over the last four seasons.
That’s right — Georgia Tech and Pitt.
Ugh.
Wake Forest, Boston College and Louisville have not.
Triple ugh.
In the last two seasons, Kenny Payne won 12 games and lost 14 games by 20 points or more. An increase from four wins to eight this season was not sufficient to earn Payne a third season. Instead he was given a $7.25 million buyout.
Every player on his final roster also departed, although none followed him to Arkansas, where he will serve as an assistant coach (see next item).
In his place, Louisville athletic director John Heird hired Pat Kelsey from the College of Charleston, who made the NCAA Tournament in four of his final five seasons at Charleston and Winthrop while averaging 24.4 wins.
Kelsey filled all 13 roster spots, recruited a completely new coaching and support staff and has a plan to get Louisville basketball back to what Louisville basketball is supposed to be.
2. John Calipari departs, Mark Pope arrives at Kentucky basketball.
This one scored more points on the national scene but in this town Payne/Kelsey resonated louder than Calipari/Pope.
Calipari had already lasted longer in the UK hot house than Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith or anybody not named Adolph Rupp. He had a lifetime contract. He had a national title. He had NBA Draft night on lockdown.
Then Wisconsin happened in 2015. And Kansas State happened in 2018. And a losing season happened in 2021. And Saint Peter’s happened in 2022. And Oakland happened in 2024.
Yes, a Kentucky team with two NBA Lottery picks lost a first-round NCAA Tournament game by giving up 32 points to a former Division II player who made 10 three-point shots.
Calipari struggled to read a scouting report but he could read the room — and took the first Mercedes SUV to Fayetteville, where he hired Payne as one of his assistants.
UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart swung mightily for Baylor coach Scott Drew, who set an NCAA record that will never be broken — turning down the Louisville and Kentucky jobs in a one-month period.
The Bluegrass hyperventilated. And then it exhaled and celebrated. Barnhart settled on Pope, the popular and personable starting center from UK’s 1996 NCAA title team.
He arrived after four 20-win seasons at Brigham Young. His 2024 squad had a higher computer ranking than Kentucky.
Pope also arrived with ringing endorsements across the basketball community, including a prolonged ovation from Rick Pitino.
3. Scottie Scheffler arrested before Round 2 of PGA Championship.
I was sitting in the doctor’s office last week and noticed a gentleman in an orange jump suit. Wearing handcuffs. Accompanied by a Jefferson County sheriff.
And, I’m sorry, but I thought of Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler was supposed to be remembered for winning the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club on the third Sunday in May because Scheffler was winning everything this spring.
Instead, the image that will not fade is the one of the terribly misplayed arrest of Scheffler for not following traffic instructions outside the main Valhalla gate early on the Friday morning of the second round.
Scheffler was taken from his car, pushed against it, handcuffed and driven downtown, as it appeared the best golfer in the world would miss his morning tee time. He stretched and practiced his breathing routine in a downtown holding cell.
The charges, of course, were later dropped. It was mostly an avoidable story of terrible communication and overreaction.
It was also a story that resonated around the world.
4. Kentucky baseball makes the College World Series.
Since 2009, the University of Louisville baseball program made five trips to the College World Series.
Indiana made one trip. So did Oral Roberts. And Notre Dame. Vanderbilt won the title — twice. So did South Carolina. Coastal Carolina won a title. Michigan made the final series.
Kentucky was the only Southeastern Conference program without a trip to Omaha.
Not any more. The Wildcats stormed to 46 victories and a share of the SEC regular season title. They dominated five NCAA regional and super regional games in Lexington, delivering a pair of shutouts.
They got to Omaha — and won their opener against North Carolina State.
That’s where the party ended — with back-to-back losses to Texas A&M and Florida.
But coach Nick Mingione’s team showed what can be done with Kentucky baseball — and that the Wildcats are just as capable of big things as the rest of the Southeastern Conference.
5. Xander Schauffele wins the PGA Championship.
First, in the opening round, he shot a course record 62 at Valhalla, matching the all-time low round shot in any major championship.
Then, he backed that up with a 68, carrying a one-stroke lead into Saturday.
Then, he shot another 68 while sliding into a tie with Colin Morikawa with 18 holes to play.
Then, Schauffele withstood charges from Viktor Hovland and Bryson DeChambeau, making a birdie on the 18th hole to finish a record 22-under to win his first major title.
Schauffele put his name next to Mark Brooks, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy as one of the four golfers to win the PGA title at Valhalla.
And he handed the title of Best Player Yet to Win a Major to the next person in line.
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