Enjoy this look back at the Kentucky year through photos!
I covered my first high school basketball game for The Road To Rupp early in 2013. I headed out to Lexington Catholic for the Dunkin Donuts Shootout to catch future Wildcat Derek Willis in action. Who would have guessed three high school players I covered during the year would end up as Kentucky Wildcats? Derek Willis, Dominique Hawkins and E.J. Floreal made for a fun first season covering Kentucky prep hoops.
The next highlight came during halftime of the men’s basketball game vs. Mississippi State. The ’96 team was presented with beautiful championship rings. Seeing each player come forward to accept his ring is a moment I’ll never forget.
In March I watched as one of UK Hoops’ most accomplished players played her last game at Memorial. A’Dia Mathies helped reshape Kentucky’s program, becoming the school’s top WNBA draft pick with her selection as the 10th pick overall by the Los Angeles Sparks. I shared in the UK Hoops celebration at the Mitchell’s home during the NCAA Selection Show.
I stopped in to check out the Louisville Cardinals during their open practice in Rupp Arena. It was odd seeing all that red invade our sacred Rupp, but I did get a special treat. Jamal Mashburn was in town to do some radio work and I finally had a chance to see him in person, an opportunity I had missed out on during his time at Kentucky. I have to admit, I totally geeked when Mash posted my picture to his social media accounts:
For me, my favorite sign of spring is the return of baseball. There are few things I enjoy more than a walk-off win at the Cliff!
Another sure sign of spring? The Kentucky football quarterback battle.
The Road to Rupp next took me to Richmond and Madison Central High School with Nation of Blue’s own Scott Anderson for the Dominique Hawkins announcement. It is always exciting seeing a kid realize his dreams, but this Kentucky boy’s offer and commitment to Kentucky was extra special. I was thrilled to share in the moment with this amazing young man, his family and his school community.
The Mark Stoops hype-machine was on full tilt for the UK Football Spring Game. An announced crowd of 50,831 showed up to watch the final scrimmage of the spring practice season. The hope and promise of a new beginning led to a great night for UK football fans.
When Coach Stoops tweeted out my images, I was proud to have been able to capture the excitement.
Summer brought several former Cats back to Lexington for the inaugural Camp One KY. DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, Patrick Patterson and Darius Miller taught the kids some fundamentals and inspired them to dream big. They were all true professionals.
Kentucky hosted its first NCAA Softball Regional in program history at the beautiful new John Cropp Stadium. It marked my first time covering an NCAA Regional Tournament and was a remarkable event for the program.
The John Calipari Fantasy Experience never disappoints. So many “pinch yourself” sightings as former players and young freshman phenoms mingle with campers. Many of my favorite moments surrounded “Co-Commissioner” Jay Bilas and ex-NFL star Jason Taylor.
The event raised over a million dollars for charity and culminated in the Alumni Game featuring former Cats.
Tubby Smith and Rex Chapman joined the Hall of Fame and Joker Phillips returned to Commonwealth Stadium. Watching Tubby soak up the reception given to him by the BBN was a special moment as was watching Joker’s former players line up to embrace him.
755 tents were set up for the Big Blue Madness Campout, a new Madness record. This was the view from high up in the Patterson Office Tower.
Big Blue Madness gave us sensory overload complete with pyros, laser lights and even a special app set to music. Highlights ranged from John Wall sharing the excitement with his Wizards teammates to Matthew Mitchell’s much-anticipated dance to getting our first glimpse of the team.
It is difficult to single out my favorite images from football and basketball season, but these two stand out in my mind:
It was a fantastic year covering UK Athletics. I had to leave out unforgettable events I was fortunate to witness in Kentucky volleyball, soccer and gymnastics. Here’s to another year of memories in 2014!
