Thursday Quickies: Charles Bassey Edition

Good morning.

Charles Bassey, who was the No. 3 recruit in 2019, has committed to Western Kentucky and moved into the 2018 class.

A five-star center playing for Louisville’s Aspire Academy, Bassey is now set to play college basketball next season for a Hilltoppers squad that narrowly missed the Big Dance last season.

That sure is... something.

Tweet(s) of the day:

UK Athletics suffered a major loss Wednesday when Edrick Floreal left to become the new head track coach at the University of Texas. Floreal took a UK track program that was near the bottom of the SEC and turned into a top-five national program.

Floreal also helped bring Sydney Mclaughlin to Lexington, as she will go down as one of the best athletes in UK Athletics history.

Thanks for all the memories Coach Flo. Best of luck in Austin!

Word.

Your Quickies

Track and field coach Edrick Floréal leaves UK for Longhorns Courier-Journal
In 2012, Floréal inherited a UK program coming off eight-place (men) and 12-place (women) finishes in the Southeastern Conference. He then led the women's team to three top-four finishes in the NCAA Outdoors Championships in the last four years, including a runner-up finish in 2015.

Charles Bassey commits to Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, reclassifies to 2018 - ESPN
Top-five prospect Charles Bassey has committed to Western Kentucky and will reclassify to the 2018 class, the school announced Wednesday. Bassey chose the Hilltoppers over Kansas, UCLA, Texas A&M, LSU, and Baylor, among others.

Redshirts now allowed to play in four games. Here's what that could mean for UK football. | Lexington Herald Leader
New NCAA ruling will allow freshmen to play up to four games in a season without losing their redshirt. Many UK players could have benefited from the rule in the past. Because of situations like that, Mark Stoops said he would be in favor of a rule like this one.

Mark Stoops Expects Consistency from his Defense in 2018 | Kentucky Sports Radio
UK's head coach is prepared to see his defense take the next step in 2018. When asked about the QBs, Stoops didn't reveal much. “We’ll see where it goes. Gunnar and Terry both have some very good qualities, look calm back there and make good decisions. They’re getting better with every opportunity so I don’t feel the need to rush that decision.”

The student ticket lottery is dead. What is replacing it? | Lexington Herald Leader
Regular feedback from students, data from the Southeastern Conference fan experience surveys as well as meetings with UK student government and the office of the dean of students among others helped the department move to the new strategy.

Kentucky WBB Announces 2018 Non-Conference Schedule - University of Kentucky
Four of Kentucky's 2018 non-conference opponents participated in the NCAA Tournament last season in South Florida, Virginia, UCLA and Louisville. Kentucky will spend Thanksgiving 2018 in the U.S. Virgin Islands at the 2018 Paradise Jam, playing South Florida on Thanksgiving Day, UCLA on Friday, Nov. 23 and North Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 24.

The 10 most hated college football teams of all-time - 247
These teams could show up and still win on their worst days, though less-than-amazing performances were few and far between. They knew outsiders despised them, but "win anyway" was the mentality and by the end of the season, hoisting a national championship trophy was the only goal in sight.

Recruits still have 'questions' about Louisville basketball | Lexington Herald Leader
Several five-star recruits in the basketball class of 2019 have Louisville on their school lists, but can the Cardinals actually land a commitment from any of them? Keion Brooks cut UofL from contention. Chris Mack has a tough task ahead.

Greg Hardy Signed by UFC After Knockout Win over Austen Lane
UFC President Dana White announced the MMA promotion is signing former NFL defensive end Greg Hardy to a contract following his knockout victory over Austen Lane during Week 1 of the second season of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series.

Ravens experimenting with Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson in same formation
There were suggestions before the draft that some teams might want Lamar Jackson to play a position other than quarterback at the professional level, but there were no indications from the Ravens that they’d be moving him after they took him at the end of the first round.

Rams to Pay Reggie Bush $12.5M After RB Suffered Knee Injury on Concrete in 2015
The Rams will pay former NFL running back Reggie Bush more than $12 million after a jury ruled in his favor Tuesday, per Joel Currier of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Bush suffered a severe knee injury in 2015 at the Edward Jones Dome and filed a lawsuit against the team in 2016.

Each NFL Team’s Most Promising Building Block Entering 2018
NFL teams are built by accruing young talent and letting it blossom. They benefit from cost-controlled rookie contracts and from knowing who they can include in their future plans. Here, we’re looking at all 32 franchises and who their promising building blocks.

AT&T’s Time Warner deal begins a new era of streaming-video monopolies - The Verge
The US District Court for the District of Columbia cleared the way for AT&T to buy Time Warner, putting content-holders like Warner Brothers, CNN and DC Comics in the hands of the world’s largest telecom.