Will Stein's Coaching Confidence Contrasts With NIL Transparency Deficit

Key Quotes

"I listened to it old school like listened to it on the radio which you don't like who I didn't know you how many people did that it was on this station right I said I I listened to it on the radio and I thought it sounded like uh I thought it sounded great excitement in the room will it was interesting because I don't think like will's not a rehearsed guy so it felt like to me it was kind of off the cuff we got natural answers at times I thought initially it was a little nervous which I get in that situation."

The speaker, Matt Jones, describes listening to Will Stein's introductory press conference on the radio. He notes that Stein did not seem rehearsed, which led to natural answers but also an initial impression of nervousness. Jones found the overall tone and excitement of the press conference to be great.

"Basically said well I can or not you have to adapt and we are going to be able to adapt it day one I I loved it how he got a little emotional talking about his wife but then the more he went on the more fired up he got and he like he said he dropped a couple of f bombs when he met with the players yesterday afternoon got me fired up ready to go but but you need that answer okay yes hey see need that."

This quote highlights Will Stein's message of adaptability in the face of change, which resonated strongly with the speaker. The speaker notes Stein's emotional moment discussing his wife, followed by increasing energy and the use of strong language with players, indicating a passionate and determined approach. The speaker emphasizes the necessity of such an attitude for success.

"I am really proud of how everyone involved has handled this transition from stoops to this I'm proud of how stoops handled it stoops could have he he could have taken us to the mat for the 37 million he ended up not doing it I mean he's getting the 37 million he's not gonna be broke but I i appreciate that he did it in a way that that's good I i've heard I I wrote about this on ks sport I've heard that actually uh he has a really as positive as you can have a situation with this with uk with mitch with everybody involved and he gets it and I think I said I think he's gonna stay in lexington."

The speaker expresses pride in the smooth transition from former coach Mark Stoops to the new coach, Will Stein. They specifically commend Stoops for handling the situation amicably, avoiding a contentious departure despite a substantial buyout. The speaker believes this positive handling of the transition reflects well on everyone involved at UK.

"Everyone in the country will want to coach with will stein said they're gonna light up the scoreboard you know that's what we want to hear man we just just that boost of energy into the program I want to go back what you said about stoops i i love the fact he gave him his flowers and kind of said it and I think it was so good because it sounded so sincere I think stein was 100 sincere in his gratitude to coach stoops trust his direct quote was trust me everybody wants to work for will stein I like it will stein's money there I like it I like the third person."

This quote captures Will Stein's confident assertion that he will attract top coaching talent, stating that "everyone in the country will want to coach with will stein." The speaker finds this statement energizing for the program and also appreciates Stein's sincere gratitude towards Mark Stoops, noting the coach's use of the third person to emphasize his confidence.

"I have an overall frustration with mitch barnhart that he does not talk to the public because he does not he only talks on media days and sort of what you're getting at right there ryan media days about the coach and like so it's hard because you're sitting there everybody's in a good mood and you don't want to be harsh to the ad in that moment but when else are they going to talk to him he doesn't ever do press conferences so he was asked about the nil situation and i mean i'm not saying this was a shot at us or me but i think it probably was and here were his comments when asked about does kentucky have enough nil go ahead and play it we're confident in what we're doing john and if people ask that question 19 different ways from him all the stuff that's been going on and it's exhausting you know enough enough about how we got enough we've got enough and we're working at it just like everyone else is working at it."

The speaker expresses frustration with athletic director Mitch Barnhart's lack of public communication, noting he only speaks at media days. This limited access makes it difficult to ask critical questions, such as those regarding the NIL situation. The speaker contrasts Barnhart's stance with the need for transparency from a leader of a public institution, especially when addressing concerns about the program's resources.

"I want to remind you I don't work for you by the way it's a little thing but let me just give you a final example of why uk sports is behind in this regard there was a press conference yesterday introducing the new coach question for you if you had a press conference introducing a new coach what's the point of doing it publicity what if i told you then unless you were jmi you couldn't broadcast the press conference they didn't let any of the tv stations broadcast it the only one that could do it on radio was the official one which is ours but when louisville does a press conference they'll let anybody the whole point is to get it out there press that's the whole point the point is publicity so they had an official press conference where you could only show it live if you were their official station and guess what the stream didn't work nope that is ridiculous and it's the only let me tell you something it's the only school in the country that does that."

This quote criticizes the restrictive broadcasting policy for the new coach's press conference, arguing it undermines the purpose of publicity. The speaker highlights that only specific, official outlets were allowed to broadcast, and even then, the stream failed. This exclusivity, contrasted with how other schools handle such events, is presented as evidence of UK sports lagging behind.