Good Q and A with Kenny "SKY" Walker, former U of K player
March 18th, 2008Kenny played basketball at Crawford County High School for Coach Clyde Zachery. Kenny stood out among all the other players, not only physically, but by his dedication to the game. Kenny continued to practice at least 45 minutes after the official practice session was over. After winning their 2nd straight state championship, Kenny asked the coach to have the gym open the next day so he could practice. Coach Zachery handed Kenny the keys. When it came time for Kenny to graduate, Kenny told his coach he wanted to play for Kentucky. His coach replied that they played big-time ball in Kentucky and asked if Kenny thought he could play there. Kenny replied “I can play anywhere.” Kenny made an immediate impact at the University of Kentucky.
Q&A with Kenny Walker
Q. What have you been up to (career-wise) the last few years?
A. A little of everything really. I do several things in radio. I’m involved with the post game show with UK basketball. I also work with Wes Strader, the long-time voice of the Western Kentucky Hill toppers. We work together on a state-wide post game basketball and football radio program. I also work on special projects for ESPN, in addition to doing community relations work with the New York Knicks. I am also involved with a state literacy program that revolves around Kentucky sports history. We focus on trying to get young kids to read and our company puts out a magazine on an annual basis that helps the learning process. So, I have a lot of things that I am involved in, but they are all in my comfort zone and I enjoy doing them all.
I didn’t want to include the entire article because it is long but you can read the rest if you like at the following URL
http://www.joebanddenny.com/ourfriends/whererthey/kennywalker.php
Where Are They Now - Rick Robey
February 21st, 2008Frederick Robert Robey (born January 30, 1956 in Coral Gables, Florida) A 6′11″ center from the University of Kentucky, Robey played eight seasons (1978-86) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, and Phoenix Suns. He scored 3,723 points in his career and was a member of the 1981 Celtics championship team.licensed since 1989. An award winning real estate professional with a vast knowledge of Louisville’s real estate market. Rick graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1978 and was a first round draft pick in the NBA and played for 8 years. He was a member of the 1981 Boston Celtic’s NBA Championship team. Rick’s top performance in real estate has earned him the 100% Club, Hall of Fame, Platinum Club, #1 Team in KY/TN and the Chairman’s Circle.
Q & A with Rick Robey
Q. The 1978 National Championship team was recently honored commemorating the 30th anniversary since you and your teammates captured the National Title at UK, what was it like seeing your former teammates and coaches?
A. Well, it’s always great to get with them and reminisce. It doesn’t seem like it’s been 30 years, and we’ve been able to get to together every five years or so and stay in touch. It’s great to see everybody’s still healthy and doing well. Seeing and talking to them really brings back a lot of great memories.
I didn’t want to include the entire article because it is long but you can read the rest if you like at the following URL
http://www.joebanddenny.com/ourfriends/whererthey/rickrobey.php
Where Are They Now - Kyle Macy
January 30th, 2008The joebanddenny.com website just posted a good article and Q and A with Kyle Macy. Kyle is currently the General Manager for the East Kentucky Miners.
Here is some of the Q and A.
Q. You grew up in Indiana, playing your freshman year at Purdue before transferring to UK for the remainder of your collegiate career. Was this a difficult decision for you?
A. Anytime you leave a school I think it’s a difficult decision. Kentucky was one of my last choices coming out of high school. I guess maybe I felt a lot of pressure to stay in-state from a lot of fans, and I grew up not far from the Purdue campus, but after being there for a year I saw that things really wasn’t going the way that I had wanted them to or the way I was told they would be as far as the discipline and the input that the coach had on the team. We were a pretty talented team, but some games we would look good, and others we were just terrible because no one would really take charge of the situation. I felt in order for me to get the best out of my playing career, I needed someone who was a disciplinarian. I needed someone who would have strict rules and structure in order for me to reach my potential both on and off the court.
I didn’t want to include the entire article because it is long but you can read the rest at the following URL
http://www.joebanddenny.com/ourfriends/whererthey/kylemacy.php
Where Are They Now - Kenny Payne
January 25th, 2008Kenny Payne, Assistant Coach at the University of Oregon, former U of L player from 1986-1989.
A member of the 1986 NCAA champion Louisville Cardinals, Kenny Payne joined the Oregon staff in the summer of 2004. He helped reshape the offense and defense that produced the remarkable 2006-07 season when Oregon went 29-8 in winning the Pac-10 tournament and advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight. His connections in the South have begun to pay off with LeKendric Longmire coming to Oregon out of Payne’s native Mississippi. Payne also worked extensively with Mitch Platt during his red-shirt year as the Ducks’ junior post is much-improved and much healthier player after recovering from two ankle surgeries.
Payne, 40, is a veteran of 10 professional basketball leagues worldwide, including a four-year stint with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. He came to Louisville from Northeast Jones High School in Laurel, Miss., where he was a Parade All-American and the state’s player of the year. At Louisville, he scored 1,083 points and shot 40 percent from three-point range during his four-year career. His best year was his senior season when he averaged 14.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, and was named to the All-Metro Conference team. After Payne finished his eligibility at Louisville in 1989, he embarked on an 11-year professional career that would take him to nine countries on five different continents. He was a first round selection in the 1989 NBA draft, going 19th overall to the 76ers. Payne averaged 3.5 points per game during his four-year NBA career with Philadelphia. The next several seasons saw Payne play in the Continental Basketball Association (Tri-Cities, Wash.) and overseas in Italy, Japan, Brazil, the Philippines, Cypress, China and Argentina. He finished his professional career in 2000 following a season with Team Taipans of Cairns, Australia.
Payne then returned to Louisville to complete his education, and became one of the first success stories of Louisville’s Cardinal Degree Completion Program, which was started in 2000 to help former student-athletes complete their degrees. More than 14 years after playing his final game in a Louisville uniform, Payne earned his bachelor’s of science degree in sport administration in 2003. Payne, born November 25, 1966, and his wife Michelle have two children, a son Alexander (3-23-00) and a daughter Alexis (3-11-98).
Q&A with Kenny Payne
By Tony Beach, FA Sports
Q. What motivated you to enter the coaching profession?
A. I have been blessed throughout my career to have been around people who have mentored me and showed me the right way to do things. For example, during my days at UofL Derek Smith and myself developed a special relationship. I don’t know if I could have made it through college without Derek, Wade Houston, Junior Bridgeman and other guys who guided me and showed me the right way to do things. Coaching is my way of giving back to the game of basketball, giving something back to the kids the way it was given to me, and it is something that I truly love to do.
To read the rest of the Q&A go to
http://www.joebanddenny.com/ourfriends/whererthey/kennypayne.php
Marty Brennaman will be a guest of the Joe B and Denny show 1/23/08
January 22nd, 2008Marty Brennaman, the radio voice of the Cincinnati Reds for over a quarter of a century.
A 1965 graduate of the University of North Carolina, Brennaman began his broadcasting career at WGHP-TV in High Point, North Carolina, and followed with stints in Salisbury, North Carolina, and Norfolk, Virginia. In 1970, he received his first sports play-by-play opportunity, as the radio voice of the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association. He added baseball to his resume in 1971, calling the action for the Triple-A Tidewater Mets. In 1974, he was selected from over 200 applicants to succeed Al Michaels as the play-by-play “Voice of the Reds” on WLW Radio.
Read More at
http://www.joebanddenny.com/ourfriends/showguest/martybrennaman.php
Randall Schoen will be a guest of the Joe B and Denny show 1/24/08
January 16th, 2008Randall will be talking about the South Central High School Lady Rebels and Breast Cancer awareness.
Join the South Central Lady Rebels as they play the Borden Lady Braves and “Think Pink” Game time is Saturday, January 26 at 1:00 pm at South Central High School.
The event will be honoring breast cancer survivors at half-time. Help increase breast cancer awareness and fight this vicious disease. Wear PINK to the game.
All proceeds including the gate admissions will be donated to the breast cancer foundation. The first 400 people will receive a pink wrist band. All breast cancer survivors or family members of who have lost someone to breast cancer are invited and will be honored on the floor at half time. A group picture will be taken with the teams and sent to the Breast Cancer Foundation to be posted on their web site.
Read More at
http://www.joebanddenny.com/ourfriends/showguest/randallschoen.php
Two good guests on the Joe B and Denny Show
January 16th, 2008Joe B and Denny will be having a couple of good guests on the show, Happy Osborn and Diane McGraw. They are both pretty impressive.
On 1/18/08 Happy Osborn - Head Basketball Coach Georgetown College will be a guest .
Read More about Happy
http://www.joebanddenny.com/ourfriends/showguest/happyosborne.php
On 1/25/08 Diane McGraw - Executive Director of the Greater Louisville Sports Commission will be a guest.
Read more about Diane
http://www.joebanddenny.com/ourfriends/showguest/dianemcgraw.php