Modern Day Tradition

The tradition at UK is what makes the program survive. As Adolph Rupp said at one time, "I have a worthy successor, I told him that after 42 years if the program should fail at the University of Kentucky, then I have built it on a sand foundation." The tradition keeps the program alive; if it weren't for that, I wouldn't be talking about this and UK would just be another run-of-the-mill program. But it isn't. Since that time, the program hass continued to thrive, and has only had one losing season within the years 1926-2010. There are a lot of things UK can claim fame to tha other so-called elite programs cannot; that is what separates UK from the rest and makes them the premier program in college basketball. This video shows exactly that; the tradtion at UK has continued throughout the years and will continue to be successful.

A Game in Rupp Arena

As I mentioned in one of the previous posts, I had been to Rupp Arena many times but never actually witnessed a game there. In 1996, I went to see the the champs come back home to a reception and a banner ceremony. But this year, I was fortunate enough to go to a game for my birthday. But like any game or event at UK, tickets are near impossible to get. For me, it was just good enough to be able to be up there and celebrate my birthday with my family and enjoy the cold weather. My grandfather was somehow able to connect me up with a family friend who lent me her season tickets for the particular game I was going to so I could go. When she personally gave me the tickets, I was excited, but when I looked at the price of the ticket, I assumed it was up top because it was less than $30, when in actuality, they were around $1,000. I had to park on the other side of downtown and walked through the skywalk and saw fans everywhere, from one building to the other. It was like some type of gathering. Then after I passed through the Hyatt, which connects to Rupp, I entered and before I even took my seat I looked at the enormity of the place. I felt as if I had died and gone to Heaven, Big Blue Heaven that is. Words cannot exactly describe the plethora of emotions I felt when I walked towards my seat, but I know that when the game started, all my focus shifted towards the game. Just like at home when I tune out everything, as do other people, the world stops for two hours just for the game. I was up on my feet the whole time and lost my voice the same day because of all the yelling. I wore my brand new Jodie Meeks jersey to the game also. But for me, it was different than for most people there. It was my first game, and you never forget your first time.

PLE Project-Pt. 2

After Coach Sutton placed the program on probation and the darkness presided over UK, God provided UK with a blessing in bringing an up-and-coming coach in a young New Yorker named Rick Pitino. Although scholarships were limited and there was no TV appearances the first year, Pitino worked with the boys who stayed on this team through thick and thin, The Unforgettables. These boys were from the mountains of Eastern Kentucky and knew what it meant to put that jersey on. Within 3 years, Pitino had UK back in the NCAA Tournament and made the Elite Eight. From 1993-1997, the Wildcats were competing for National Championships, making the Final Four 3 out of those 5 years. In 1996, argueably the best team in college basketball history to put on a uniform, the Cats went 34-2, avenging those two losses as well on their way to their 6th National Championship. In 1997, Pitino took a team made up of considerably different players and took them back to the championship game, only to lose in overtime to Arizona. After the season, Coach Pitino decided he would take the job as the head coach of the Boston Celtics. This would open up a new chapter yet again in Kentucky Basketball.

Basketball Camp

One of the experiences of my life that I enjoyed most was going to UK Basketball Camp. I was 14 and I was planning on playing basketball in high school, so I decided that this would give me more experience and the help I was needing. Although 2 years later that didn't exactly work out, I still enjoyed it because of the experience. It was a week-long camp; it had many high school coaches and former players their as coaches in the camp. I was a day-camper since I stayed at my grandparents' house, so it was 8:30 am-8:30 pm every day. I came home tired and exhausted but I enjoyed it because I had learned a lot more about basketball and life lessons as well at the camp. I also got to play with many people my age who were being recruited by big colleges or had been playing for an elite high school team. But what I enjoyed most of all was just being there at UK, and being in the presence of the coaches and players. I met all the players on the team, Former Coach Tubby Smith, former players, and Bill Keightley. One of the most enlightening parts of it was being able to play on the court at Memorial Coliseum, to even place my feet on the court with its hallowed history was just a blessing in itself for me. I had to play league games there about 6 times or so. I also took a trip to the UK Basketball Museum, which I had already been to, and to Rupp Arena. I had been there before, but never on the court. The court was removed at the time because it was summer and an indoor football team was playing there, but it just about took my breath away when I got to look up to Big Blue Heaven to see the banners in the rafters. And it only got better when I went to the locker room; I was amazed to even be in it.

Basketball Vault

While doing this project, I stumbled upon a book that I got for my birthday. It is called the University of Kentucky Basketball Vault. It is a 150-page book but it is the size of a Bible to put it into perspective; that is just the enormity of the book, literally. But it just goes to show you the importance of all the history that the program has comprised. It goes from the first men's squad assembled in 1903, to the death of Mr. Wildcat in March 2008. Inside the book, it has many memorabilias and specific dates and details of games and different important things that have occured throughout that time. It goes decade by decade and through the different coaching eras, from coaches before Rupp, all the way to Billy Gillispie. I really enjoy the book because it puts all the stories from my grandparents and my father into perspective and I can see how everything was back then.

Time Machine

For one aspect of my project, I decided that I would interview my dad's friend, who had playing experience at UK. He played during the last season of Former Coach Joe B. Hall back in the 1980's. It was real neat to hear things from his experience both in the basketball program and at the university. It was like going back to the 1980's in a time machine; to hear it coming from him put me in his shoes and realized just how special this basketball program is to everybody around it. He talked about his love for UK and before we even started the interview asked me what I thought of Coach Cal and my thoughts about next season. Sometimes, talking with a fellow fan opens up some insight and even allows me to express my opinion and enjoy the company of others who share a similar perspective as a fan. It brought me back to the other aspects of the program I remembered from living there and the different things I saw.

Kentucky Tradition

This is one of the vidoes on YouTube that I really enjoy. It is a brief summary with different pictures and clips of the UK basketball program as a whole, from the early days up until recently. It has background music throughout, which affects the theme of the video and the feelings of the audience, which is meant for fans of the Big Blue Nation. If you aren't a true fan, this video will mean absolutely nothing to you. It is meant to be emotional for anyone that bleeds blue.

PLE Project

I'm choosing to do my project on the history of Kentucky Basketball in the post-Rupp era, which is from 1972 to today. Basically this is the modern day era of UK basketball. The program has evolved a lot through time and I wanted to be able to show the progress they have made from the early dynasties, to the transition of having a new coach in Joe B. Hall, Rupp's successor. They have played in two different arenas in that time, and have also played in many Final Fours. After Hall, there was Eddie Sutton, the coached who proclaimed to "crawl to Kentucky" to take the job. That resulted in a losing season 4 years later, the first in over 60seasons. This was considered the first half of the posr-Rupp era until today.