It’s Christmas, and the KSR staff is taking a page out of Mark Pope’s playbook for content. On his call-in show on Monday night, Pope said he keeps a gratitude journal in which he writes down three things he’s grateful for every night before going to bed. As we get ready to say goodbye to a wild calendar year for Kentucky sports, that seems like the perfect exercise to get us ready for the year ahead. Plus, we’ve already done every other type of Christmas roundtable imaginable.

Behold, the 18 things the KSR staff is grateful for this Christmas!

Tyler Thompson

Andy Enfield went to SMU

Just saying “Mark Pope” would be too easy (and against the rules I made up). Instead, I’ll start with the first domino that fell to bring him to Lexington: Andy Enfield. Enfield left USC for SMU when the Mustangs fired Rob Lanier, which then prompted Eric Musselman to leave Arkansas for SMU. If that hadn’t happened, John Calipari wouldn’t have met with John Tyson and Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek in Houston to talk about candidates for the job, which, of course, led to Calipari taking the job himself.

There are other people to thank for Pope landing in Lexington — Scott Drew and Dan Hurley’s wives, the servers at Mi Casita in Waco, the Chicago Bulls for still being in the playoffs, etc. — but Enfield got the ball rolling. Technically, it was Lanier, but being grateful someone got fired seems like the antithesis of this exercise.

Good stories — and the time to tell them

April’s changing of the guard was the breath of fresh air everybody needed. I don’t think it’s a secret that several of us around here were pretty burnt out when Kentucky lost in the first round (again) and it seemed we were staring down another year of the status quo. Instead, quite the opposite happened (thanks again, Andy Enfield!).

Mark Pope’s return to Lexington brought with it a new energy around the program and 12 new players, each with a unique story to tell. It also inspired yours truly to carve out more time to tell those stories. I’ve got a lot of plates in the air with the day-to-day of keeping KSR going. This fall, I added another one. So far, I’ve covered Lee Anne Pope and Jaxson Robinson. I’ve got plans for many more stories in 2025, an endeavor only possible with the support of my awesome coworkers. This Christmas, I’m especially grateful for them.

Puppies — sometimes

In 2024, we said goodbye to our beloved dog Gatsby, who passed peacefully just a few months shy of her 18th birthday. We made it five months before adding a new member to our family, Remy. Now nine months old, our rescue puppy is a bundle of energy and hair (seriously, so much hair!) that keeps us on our toes.

The “joys” of puppyhood can be overwhelming (we’ve nicknamed him “Gremy” for when he is overtired and therefore evil); however, for all the barking, chewing, and digging, there are moments that melt your heart, like when he demands morning cuddles on the couch or, like Monday night, when he ate a piece of popcorn for the first time and looked as though he’d discovered a new wonder of the world. Right now, as he naps peacefully, we are definitely grateful for Remy.

Nick Roush

The Transfer Portal is Closing Soon

Keeping your head on a swivel for too long can cause neck problems. Although it’s still not over, Kentucky has signed 14 players. They might get a few more here and there, but I am grateful that the silliest part of the Silly Season is over.

Bowl Season

Some people would rather spend their time being mad about the newly expanded CFP. I’m just happy we still get to see teams compete for giant Pop-Tarts and buckets of mayonnaise. Others scoff at these exhibition games. There are few things I love more than turning on the television in the middle of the day to see Rutgers play Kansas State. Embrace the madness and the random college football this holiday season. Who knows how long we’ll still be able to cherish it.

Being a Dad on Christmas

We’ve been silly, so let’s get sappy for a minute. Juggling three children under four has its challenges, especially for someone who works from home. If I had a nickel for every time a kid barged in while podcasting, I could fill up a piggy bank and take a trip to Florida. As hectic as it may be at times, it’s all so worth it.

While this is obviously not our first rodeo with Santa Claus, each holiday season brings new traditions. I got to show my 4-year-old Elf. Do you know how cool it is to watch someone experience that movie for the first time? I wish I could bottle up those giggles from Buddy’s big burp and save them for a rainy day. There’s nothing that can replicate the joy of a child on Christmas.

Zack Geoghegan

The Cleveland Cavaliers are good again

They’ve been “good” the last couple of seasons, but this season’s incredible start has brought me back to my early years of fandom when I was just a kid. My favorite NBA team is 26-4 this season with the league’s best record. I don’t even mind that our best player is a former Louisville Cardinal. I just love being able to have fun watching a team that got me into this whole basketball business (along with the Kentucky Wildcats, obviously) in the first place. LeBron James isn’t roaming the floor anymore in Cleveland, but I feel like a kid again knowing that the Cavaliers are among the league’s best teams.

Working with my friends

I’m making memories right now that I won’t realize are actual memories until years from now. Things like walking home from Rupp Arena in the cold and dark while joking and talking Kentucky basketball with Jack Pilgrim and Steven Peake. Our TikTok Live videos only generate about 40 viewers (due to it usually being 1:30 in the morning) and my hands are icicles near the end, but there’s nothing better than talking ball with people I’ve become real, genuine friends with.

The same goes for Brandon Ramsey and our KSR basketball film room show, Zoom Action, which has taught me more about hoops than I ever thought I could know. Being the middle man between Steven and Brandon (always on opposite ends of the spectrum with their opinions) in our basketball group text always makes me smile and laugh, no matter how good or bad the Wildcats are playing. Jacob Polacheck just makes me laugh in general, regardless of the conversation.

And of course, the rest of my KSR crew that I’m lucky enough to work with every single day. People I’ll keep up with for the rest of my life. We’ve got a good thing going.

Getting better in the kitchen

Okay, something not related to basketball now. I’m by no means a chef, but I am someone who regularly makes meals at home. And now that I’m living in the same house with a smart and beautiful lady, my palate has grown even more, and so has our desire to spend extra time together by making dinner. It’s become part of our nightly routine. I’ve gotten better at using a cask iron skillet. I eat more vegetables now too (spinach and feta, as it turns out, is actually good!). Sometimes we stick to the basics, sometimes we dip into the cookbook (and sometimes we walk to Chipotle after long days or break out the trusty frozen pizza). We all like to eat, so we might as well have fun with it.

Adam Luckett

The transfer portal

Some may think it’s ridiculous, and others may count down the days until it’s over, but the transfer portal brings the college football diehards together unlike anything else. I’ve seen y’all in the 11 Personnel chat and on KSBoard. Head on a swivel season is a fun time to see what is on the way for next season and can always give any fan base some hope that things can be fixed. The madness is not done with Kentucky yet, but we now have a better idea where the program is headed. It was also a nice distraction from the brutal 4-8 season and some of the dread many in the Big Blue Nation will have all offseason about the 2025 campaign.

NFL games on Christmas

December 25th has always been owned by the NBA but the early regular season games just don’t hit as hard as late-season NFL games with playoff seeding on the line. I’m cautiously optimistic that Netflix will not crash on Wednesday but I’m excited to have some football on the tube again with four playoff teams in the AFC featured. There will be not Christmas movies on at the Luckett house once we get to 1:00 p.m. ET.

December trips to Florida

We’ve made bowl trips a yearly tradition but this year that is not on the table. All that means is some extra time in Florida as my wife Taylor and our two boys (Baker and Hank) make the trek to North Florida once Christmas wraps up to visit her parents. What has been a couple-day trip for me around New Year’s is now a week-long stay. I’m looking forward to playing a few rounds of golf and enjoying some warmer weather.

Jack Pilgrim

The magic of Christmas with a kid

Last year was technically my first crack at Christmas with a baby — certainly a blast and heartwarming, seeing our family grow beyond the decade of dating and married years I’ve got under my belt with the wife. Billy was just two months old when Jolly Old St. Nick came down the chimney, though, so there wasn’t a whole lot of magic with the holiday through his eyes. This time around, little man is 14 months old and obsesses over Christmas lights and songs and movies and anything else involving “Ta-Ta” — his way of saying Santa. Every time he comes down the stairs and turns the corner, his eyes light up as he sees the tree (“tee”) staring back at him with a mesmerized, overwhelmingly excited grin.

Christmas has always been my thing — shocking coming from a Pilgrim, right? Nothing makes me happier than the holiday season of giving, peace and joy. Welcoming my little man into the world in the last year-plus only magnified that joy.

Handing off unrest to the football beat

Let me make it clear in advance that life is better when both the men’s basketball and football programs are thriving alongside one another. This town is plenty big for the both of them — plus women’s basketball, baseball, volleyball and all of the sports on campus. That’s how it should be. Last year was tough, though, attempting to see the best in things and find reason for long-term optimism with a program that desperately needed a new, fresh voice leading the fanbase, just as Coach Cal said himself to put a bow on the unrest as he made his move to Fayetteville. Those last couple of years were hard, though, as Big Blue Nation juggled feelings of anger, sadness, apathy and everything in between as losses piled up and postseason runs disappeared.

Right as toxicity hit its peak, the coaching carousel began to spin, soon out of control and ultimately landing Mark Pope in Lexington. Now on the heels of a 4-8 record with a winless finish in SEC home games, that vitriol is shifting over to football as Mark Stoops hopes to convince fans next year will once again be better. That puts Nick Roush and Adam Luckett in the basketball guys’ shoes during a similar period of uncertainty, only this time there isn’t a clear escape path elsewhere for another coach. The good news? They’re the best in the world at what they do, so I have no doubt they’ll handle this season and the adversity almost certain to come with it in stride. They’ve crushed the first part of the offseason with portal chaos. On the flip side, we’re not complaining about all of the good PR for Pope’s squad up to this point. Life isn’t half as stressful this way.

Trading out Luke Maye for Drake Maye

I’ll forever hate Luke Maye for his performance in the 2017 Elite Eight. He ruined what could have been a second championship in six years for the Cats — him, plus the official who must not be named. That’s what makes my life in 2024 pretty darn weird as a diehard supporter of the former Tar Heel villain’s brother.

My New England Patriots stink and have for several years now, but rookie gunslinger Drake Maye has made Sundays worthwhile this season. He’s a hell of a talent unfortunately waiting for the rest of the terrible roster to catch up, receiving little to no help elsewhere. Until then, I’ll continue to enjoy his star-worthy throws in losing efforts as we tank for draft position. That’s all we have left to play for anyway.

Also, Mac Jones is far away from my franchise. That helps.

Drew Franklin

Mitch Barnhart trusting Mark Pope

There is a renewed excitement around Kentucky Basketball. The rejuvenation was much-needed after a tumultuous ending to the past regime when the Wildcats kept losing meaningful games, and the fan base argued over the program’s decline. Sure, Kentucky lost by 20 last Saturday, which wasn’t fun and rejuvenating, but the fan base is still high on Mark Pope and eager to see what he can do this season and beyond. Despite the two losses, it’s been a near-perfect start for Pope in a challenging spot replacing John Calipari. So far, so good.

So, thank you, Mitch Barnhart, for making the hire when many others, myself included, were critical of the move at the moment. Pope’s first eight months on the job have been so much fun, especially…

Beating Duke and Louisville

Last Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic stunk, but those wins over Duke and Louisville were huge for Pope and for a fan base that was tired of losing to the Blue Devils and tired of hearing about last month’s Governor’s Cup loss in football. Pope checked two huge boxes by beating a couple of rivals in his first year.

Continued growth and success of KSR

Even though I’ve lived it, the growth of KSR is still unbelievable sometimes, and I, one of the “old heads,” am thankful for how far it’s come over the years. Here on the website, eight full-time employees and several others still bring you UK news in the most ridiculous manner possible, delivering the best written content about UK on the internet, and now through podcasts and the ever-growing world of social media, too. Nick and Adam are the best at covering football; Jack and Zack the best at basketball; Steven working around the clock to grow the video content; Jacob growing KSR+; and Tyler managing it all while still writing. There are several others who make KentuckySportsRadio.com go. Trying to name everyone will get me in trouble. Just know we are grateful to have a great team.

The radio show also continues to be a hit, with news on that front coming soon. We survived the cross-country drive to Seattle. I am very grateful for that. And the addition of Mario brings new and fun ways to spread the show beyond live radio. Of course, talking to Matt, Ryan, and Shannon is a fun way to spend each weekday morning. I’m grateful for those two hours of every day, and everything Ryan says. I’m lucky to be part of the team on the radio side and here at KentuckySportsRadio.com.

Merry Christmas to you, the KSR reader/listener, and thank you for your role in all of this. Go Cats.