Even before the season started, former Kentucky All-American Jack Givens knew that Mark Pope was the perfect hire for UK.

“He went back and watched every game for every player from last year. How much commitment does that take with an entirely new roster?” Givens said. “He did that for every player. That’s how dedicated he is.

“He is going to do some special stuff. Beating Duke was just the beginning. It is going to be so nice. We are not going to win every game. It ain’t going to be that easy, but it is going to be fun. Every guy is going to work hard every night. You are not going to be saying this guy doesn’t play hard this year.”

Givens, the UK Radio Network analyst, likes the mix Kentucky has even if it does remind him of some not so pleasant times from the last few years.

“If you think about teams over the last four or five years that Kentucky has lost to, and I am not just talking about tournaments which have been bad enough, but during the season and that is the team we have now,” Givens said. “It is a team with a couple of point guards who know how to play the game.

“We used to have veteran players on every team we had and teams that have beat us have had that. I like those young, lively guys who come in but I am an old-school guy. Give me some experience when it comes to winning. Give me experience along with talent and we can win games. We are fortunate to have that this year.”

Givens knows beating Duke was just one win and that UK has major road tests at Clemson on Dec. 3 and Gonzaga on Dec. 7. However, the 1978 Final Four MVP knows the Duke win was important.

“I really liked that our guys said you (Duke) are good, but we know how to play, too. It was fun to see how we won that game and that stays with us,” Givens said.

Givens was a scorer and appreciates offense. He loves the weapons Pope was able to assemble and how he uses those weapons.

“We are a hard team to guard. The only thing you can do wrong in Mark’s offense is not move,” Givens said.

At practice, Givens has seen Pope have a drill where players can only have the ball in their hand for a half second before doing something with it.

“You have to be thinking about what to do with the ball before you catch it,” Givens said.

Pope also randomly asks players for three key words off the scouting report from a player they will be guarding in the next game. The UK coach also demands total silence at the shoot-around when players are shooting free throws.

“I asked him why he wants it totally quiet and he said because it might be the only five minutes of quiet time the players have all day where they just have to focus on what they are doing. He does things I have not seen before and it works for him.”

Givens marveled at what Pope did after he got the UK job to connect with former players.

“He had a meeting and called all the former players in. He individually called every player,” Givens said. “He asked everyone what he can do to make this thing better. Then he invited us to come around and these young guys saw us and thought it was amazing all these guys came around, so there must be something special here.”

Givens often watches practice and gets a chance to talk with Pope. He likes how the former UK team captain does things differently from other coaches.

“It’s fun talking to him because I learn stuff. He puts a lot into analytics. He even studies how long he can keep a guy in a game and how long he stays productive,” Givens said. “He told me Andrew Carr is a guy who the longer the game goes, the better he gets. But then he told me BG (Brandon Garrison) after two minutes he has to get him out, but when he comes back he can go four or five minutes. Those are the kinds of things I had never heard a coach talk about.”

***

Kentucky volleyball coach Craig Skinner has a terrific problem as his team prepares to start postseason play.

For the first time since mid-September, he has both senior Erin Lamb and freshman Asia Thigpen healthy and able to play.

“It’s a beautiful thing to have two talented players playing the same position that you can use,” Skinner said.

Lamb had not played in a SEC match until last week after having a non-volleyball medical issue sideline her two days before conference play started. She missed 13 matches.

“We are scrambling about what to do, lost a match and have had to work our tails off to get back,” Skinner said.

Kentucky was coming off an upset win at SMU and preparing to play at Purdue when Skinner learned Thigpen would be out with a knee injury. She eventually missed six matches, including the SEC opener at Auburn and two more conference matches, before returning.

“Asia is young but is so talented. Both of them play the same spot and both can light it up,” Skinner said. “Right now Asia is starting for us and Erin is coming off the bench. It’s a beautiful thing to have two talented players doing all they can for us.

“I get emotional thinking about these kids being so selfless and focused on the team. Erin has been through so much in her four years here, it is incredible. I do not have enough adjectives to describe how she has been as a teammate. I have seen her become a completely different player and person.”

Thigpen is a dynamic rising star for Kentucky.

“When the ball gets set to her, people rise out of their seats. She detonates the ball. She is a dynamic competitor,” Skinner said. “The way she plays is contagious. Alpha competitors are extremely important on championship teams because they compete no matter whether it is their best or worst match. They have no memories. The best competitors are ready every time the whistle blows and she is one of those people.”

Kentucky clinched an eighth straight SEC championship with its win over Arkansas on Sunday.

* * *

True freshman quarterback Cutter Boley got his first chance to play significant minutes against a big-time opponent at No. 3 Texas and went 10-for-18 passing for 160 yards with one interception in the second half of the 31-14 loss.

Kentucky coach Mark Stoops would not commit to whether Boley would start against Louisville in UK’s season finale or not Saturday after the game, but plenty of others were on the Boley bandwagon.

“Coming into this season I didn’t think he was ready (to start/play) but to watch him last week (against Murray) and the growth he has made and this week he really played well,” UK Radio Network analyst Jeff Piecoro said.

Former WLEX-TV sports anchor Alan Cutler, who now has a weekday show on ESPN, believes Boley has to start.

“Boley gives the team more HOPE!!” Cutler posted on X after the Texas loss.

Cats’ Pause general manager Darrell Bird has his reason for why Boley needs to start Saturday’s game.

“Cutter Boley leading UK to win over Louisville in its ‘bowl game’ Governors Cup would set a great tone for next year after a frustrating season,” Bird posted on social media.

“Brock (Vandagriff) may have the physical tools, but it appears Cutter is a much more decisive decision maker,” Larry Glover of LarryGloverLive on WVLK radio posted. “This season has been a deep disappointment. That said, the promise of Boley at least gives you some hope going forward. Cutter needs to be under center next week (against Louisville) and I think he will be.”

Dan Rieffer, a former Lexington TV sports anchor for 20 years, watched Boley play at Lexington Christian Academy and believes Boley has a special quality like another former Wildcat did.

“I’ve seen all I need to see from Boley in this game to know he should be the guy going forward,” Rieffer posted on social media. “Quicker decisions. More accurate throws. Reminds me a bit of when I saw (running back) Benny Snell the first time. Could tell he was different in just a few plays.”

Offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan admitted Boley was impressive at times against Texas.

“It’s been the second week for him where he’s making plays off-schedule when certain things weren’t there. It’s good to see him in that environment and not be too frazzled and play the way he did,” Hamdan said. “We’ve got to take a hard look at ourselves. It starts with me and seeing how we can play more and more consistent.

“There’s not a ton that needs to be said or can be said right now. We’ve got to do a couple things, you know what I mean, to take the next step.”

* * *

Former Kentucky guard Travis Ford helped the Wildcats reach the 1993 Final Four under coach Rick Pitino. The Cats lost in the national semifinals, but Ford had 12 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals in the loss.

Ford was a Kentucky prep standout at Madisonville who signed with Missouri but transferred to Kentucky after one season to play for Pitino. He was the starting point guard his junior and senior years and set school records for single-game assists (15), single-season 3-point field goals (101) and consecutive free throws made (50).

Ford was named to the All-SEC team his junior and senior years, and was the Southeast Region’s Most Outstanding Player in the 1993 NCAA Tournament.

He ranks in the top 10 in UK history in career 3-point field goals made (No. 6, 190), career assists (No. 9, 428), and assists per game (No. 6, 4.28). He is in the top five in career 3-point field goal percentage (No. 3, .445) and single-season 3-point field goals made (No. 4, 101, 1993).

He has been the head coach at Campbellsville University, Eastern Kentucky, Massachusetts, Oklahoma State and most recently Saint Louis.

Ford was the analyst on the SEC Network when UK beat Lipscomb on Tuesday night in Rupp Arena. Even though he never played with UK coach Mark Pope, the two certainly know each other because Ford hosted Pope on his official visit to UK before he transferred from Washington to Kentucky.

“How great is Travis Ford. I love him. He was a great mentor to me. Coming to Kentucky, it’s kind of like TP (Travis Perry) and Trent (Noah) with our guys. Travis Ford was a guy that helped me understand Kentucky really, really fast,” Pope told Tom Leach on the UK Radio Network postgame show after the Lipscomb win.

“Travis Ford, if you remember, was an unbelievable point guard. He’s only like 5-2 and his arms are probably shorter than his body. He’s probably minus length. And he was an assassin and the toughest kid ever, man, and was so good on that Final Four team as he played such a major role with coach (Rick) Pitino and restoring Kentucky basketball to where it was supposed to be and will always be greatly indebted to Travis. He’s an all-time great here.”

Ford was the “Y” earlier this season when Kentucky beat Kentucky Wesleyan in an exhibition game.

Former UK guard Jay Shidler, who was on UK’s 1978 national championship team, liked what he heard from Ford.

“A total natural, and with your knowledge and experience as a player and coach you bring great depth & insight to the broadcast. Keep it going!” Shidler posted on social media in a message to Ford.

* * *

Kentucky’s record has not had a devastating impact on football recruiting with national signing day almost here.

On3’s recruiting rankings have Kentucky No. 23 in the 2025 recruiting race. Last year UK’s signing class ranked 25th.

Kentucky does not have a verbal commitment from a five-star player, but does have commitments from these four-star players: Running back Marquise Davis, safety Martels Carter, edge rusher Cedric Works, defensive linemen Javeon Campbell and Kalen Edwards, cornerback Andrew Purcell and offensive tackle Darrin Strey.

However, the bad news for Kentucky is that the Wildcats have only the 12th highest rated class in the Southeastern Conference. Only Florida (24), Mississippi State (28), Arkansas (31) and Vanderbilt (64) rank below Kentucky.

“Our young players and the attitude of our team, the way we’re recruiting. You gotta fill some holes. You have to get better in certain areas,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said after last week’s loss to Texas. “We have good young talent. We have guys that care. And I feel like we are excited to hit that trail and recruit some more, attract a few more guys who can take us to a different position.”

* * *

Quote of the Week: “I’m an energy dude and I feel like (when) my energy is up and I’m running the court, blocking shots that my team feeds off that,” UK center Brandon Garrison, on what he does best to help the team.

Quote of the Week 2: “You want as many arrows in your quiver as possible. Against really good teams, you need that. The more options you have, the tougher it is to stop,” UK volleyball coach Craig Skinner, on a balanced attack.

Quote of the Week 3: “I just can’t, in a good conscience, walk into Rupp in a 3-quarter zip. To me that’s a really sacred building, and there’s nothing that feels right about it,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope, on wearing a suit for home basketball games.”