Reflecting On A Title Year

The 2011-12 season was a great one for BBN, any way you look at it. Culminating with UK's eighth national championship, the year included a perfect conference run through the regular season, tons of interesting storylines, some brilliant young players, and just a mere two losses along the way.

Mission was truly accomplished. The banner has been hung.

Many a word has already been written about how masterful Coach Cal was in handling this freshman-dominated team. And Anthony Davis racked up more hardware than your local Home Depot in helping deliver the title back to Lexington. Darius Miller has begun criss-crossing the Commonwealth on his well-deserved "senior tour" (not the golfing kind).... and in many ways the page has already been turned... to find that Nerlens Noel will become The Next Big Thing™ to hit Rupp Arena.

But if you'll allow a little more personal ponderification on the subject, I must say that when I look back on this year, the entire season, it's the way that I got to share it with friends and family that really means everything to me. Something about Kentucky Basketball just lends itself in a very special way...a very captivating way... to this type of thing.

So please bear with me. This might get long.

And maybe I should work backwards: when UK was defeating Kansas on that most brilliant Monday night a couple of weeks ago, I was not able to be there in New Orleans to witness it.

What I will endearingly refer to as a "work commitment" ... well, this situation required me to be in San Antonio, the home of The Alamo and (fittingly?) the site of UK's most recent championship win, back in 1998.

'98! The Comeback Cats! Yay, Tubby! *cough*

Anyway.... I did NOT have to watch the game there alone in a San Antonio hotel room, or surrounded by strangers in some godforsaken Hooters on the Riverwalk. Rather, I had the good fortune of being able to re-connect with a fellow UK alum, a true gentleman, a Danville native, and a recovering Holmes Hall RA like myself, and being able to watch Kentucky cut down the nets in the comfort of his lovely Texas home.

And what can I say about that? The hospitality (and the pizza, and the brownies) was off the charts. I was made to feel like part of the family, Big Blue and otherwise. My friend's wife looked not a single day older than when we were students, back in the north campus courtyard. His daughters were super-sweet, more polite than English valets... and even his "Jayhawk friends" were as unassuming and as cordial as could be. (Of course they probably had no choice. The way Kentucky pounded them, it's not like they were gonna be trash-talking anybody).

Fortuitously, the Cats jumped out to that big early lead, and were meekly challenged down the stretch by the mighty Bill Selfs. So I got to catch up quite a bit with a good friend, in between game action and stuffing my face. He had his Kentucky flag on proud display, we naturally all had our blue t-shirts on, and I had vaguely considered taking a Sharpie and modifying my eyebrows ... before ultimately deciding against it.

But it all just made for a different, quite memorable experience. Was part of me wishing I was courtside at the Superdome, trying to catch confetti? Of course. And naturally the texts were flying back and forth to my peeps back home, and my normal game-watch mothership (Fox & Hound), where celebration mode was reaching threat level alpha. Heck, I also had a congratulatory voice mail from my 9 year old son, which I will probably never delete from my phone. The way it all turned out, I'm not sure I would change a thing.

I even playfully lit a match at the final buzzer and pretended to ignite my friend's sectional couch. Absolutely broke up the room. He even made me re-enact it for a photograph....which he proceeded to immediately post on Facebook. Cough again. But it was just a blast, and I had a goofy smile on my face driving back to the hotel and making myself catch some sleep. The next morning I had to pinch myself and thank the Lord for being a Wildcat by His grace, and then get on with meetings throughout the day. Good times, and just like being with family.

The Louisville Final Four game? Well, that one really WAS with family, the biological sort...and it was also Fox & Hound all the way, with not only the wife and kids, but all the rest of the usual suspects. The place was pretty jammed, I must say. My mother-in-law and sis-in-law were present (only one of them is a Kentucky fan), along with two nephews and a niece to boot.

Granted, there was just a lot of tension surrounding that game for obvious reasons. A lot of my favorite UK fans and friends were...I don't know, like hugging each other more than normal after that win. But the Hound really does become a second home throughout the course of a season and it's always great seeing the familiar faces (new ones too). I honestly love watching games at that joint, and I suppose at the end of the day I'm just glad I don't have to pay the light bill there.

This might be hindsight talking, but I don't feel like I was all that nervous leading up to the Card-pocalypse game. But I certainly do remember all the emails that Mrs. Whisperer was sending me all week (reminder: she's a Louisville alum) with the stupid little cartoons and slogans and other junk that was blowing up the interwebz. Drawings of little cardinals choking wildcats, that sort of thing. All in good fun, of course. I mean seriously, all I did was put hair remover in her shampoo bottle. Jeez.

But thinking further back to the first Louisville game, the regular season one in December...well, I suppose that one was more of a highlight for me. I got to actually see that one in Rupp, along with my brother. It was of course during the holidays, and I didn't even post about it at the time, since I don't travel with a computer. But with a big assist from Danno (aka The Man From Ashland), who came up with the tickets, Brother JC and I got to witness that bruising UK victory, and also enjoy a little libation at Horse and Barrel afterwards. So more good times.

I also caught the Lamar game in Rupp over Christmas break. And that one was significant since Tracy was able to join us, along with her bo-hunk, plus Shannon and MJ came along, and we hit up Joe B's for those peerless breadsticks and another UK home win. I only wish I could spend more time with all of those people.

(Quick tangent on breadsticks: I even got to see the football Cats back in the fall, and met up with my brother-in-law and his wife. Kentucky squeaked past Central Michigan that day, and naturally, we hit Joe B's for post-game. So I just HAD to snap them, cheesing it up, especially since he's a 'Ville fan like my wife, and you never, ever catch him wearing the blue. But he wore it that day for the Mrs. Now aren't they a great couple? Their kids are adorable too.)

But back to the basketball season.... we also took the kids to see the LSU game in Baton Rouge in January. Personal memories on that one are bittersweet. I can't even begin to recall that game without thinking of poor Mr. Jim busting up his shoulder at the Pete Marvich Assembly Center. (Thank God he was okay, after quite a nasty fall.) So it was a little bizarre.

Suffice it to say that BBN truly invaded the Bayou that day, and we had a great pep rally at Buffalo Wild Wings near campus. Of course Danno made the trip. And we met fans from other parts of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. We survived all the "Tiger Bait!" chants. Kentucky took care of its business, with the most noteworthy play probably being the goal-line tackle that Anthony Davis suffered on a breakaway opportunity.

While we were there, I got pictures of the real, live Mike the Tiger, (safely in his habitat) and also one one of the kids on top of the tiger statue. I chatted briefly with Voice of the Wildcats Tom Leach while waiting for the team to file out to the bus afterwards. I also recall speaking with UK superfan Bob Wiggins, who complained that Baton Rouge was his "least favorite" SEC town (got a kick out of that). We had a nice dinner with several friends from Houston at Ralph and Kacoo's.

And I really loved my son's comment as the team was picking up fried chicken meals as they boarded their bus: "Look Dad, they get TWO boxes of Popeye's each!" Of course the whole time I was thinking, "Yeah, well Anthony Davis may have the metabolism of a 19-year old, but he also has two ice packs taped to his knees." (Couldn't get any autographs, natch.)


But trying to bring this to a close, the funnest of all the fun for me this year had to be the SEC tournament. And I say that despite the fact that Kentucky obviously lost to Vandy in the final. (I'm sure Stallings would trade titles with us, but then somehow he'd find a way to complain about ESPN in the process. Love that guy.) To summarize the New Orleans experience, as my daughter might say: it was epic.

Again, the entire adventure was so enriched by the presence of fellow fans and friends. Despite the traffic driving over, it was a super-nice hotel getaway for me and T, but I'm thinking more about my man PA coming all the way from Atlanta, celebrating his birthday in the Big Easy with a UK-decorated carrot cake. I'm thinking about Miss Pam, doing "the wobble" out on Bourbon St. I'm thinking about getting to share a meal or two with MJ, one of my all-time besties, a proud UK marching trumpeter from back in the day, who can throw down some oysters or some gumbo like it's his job. (Plus props to Shannon for the accommodations!)

And yes, I'm thinking about CD, absolutely crushing the beverages (and the dance floor) at Cat's Meow, at Pat O's, at the Famous Door, at.... well, you get the idea. Dude certainly knows his way around the Crescent City. I just hope he always remembers his way back safely to his hotel over there.

So I don't know what else to highlight about NOLA. The entire arena was blue over there. I bumped into several other people that I attended UK (and even high school) with, all of whom were having a great time themselves. I guess the only way it would have been better was if....wait a minute.....nope....I said I'm not going to go there. 'Cause at the end of the day, Kentucky got it's EIGHTH NCAA championship. So I'm going to play it like Cal and say I ain't worried 'bout no conference stuff.

And therefore I suppose I will just leave it at that...and quickly conclude by sincerely thanking you once more for reading.

I truly hope that you enjoyed this season as much as I did.

P.S. Almost forgot...one of my dogs (the smaller, meaner one) actually killed a cardinal in the backyard this spring! Or if she didn't kill it, she at least brought its dead carcass proudly to the back door like she had killed it. Pretty awesome, I say! What's my point in all of this? I love my dog..... I love my wife and kids. I love all my Big Blue friends and fellow alums. And I love Kentucky basketball and sharing it with all of you.

Go Cats! 2012 Champions!

Out.

One More Win To Gr8ness

The buildup to this Final Four matchup vs. Louisville was growing tiresome by mid-week. Every angle had been explored, exposited, and exhumed: Cal vs. Rick, Freshman vs. Upperclassmen, Overdogs vs. Underdogs. I finally had to go down to the local dialysis center and slap some old Aggie fan just to blow off some steam. Couldn't find any Cardinals anywhere.

Well, thank God Saturday finally arrived...and thank Him further that the Cats pulled it out.

I'm gonna be as absolutely magnanimous as possible and first congratulate the Louisville team. They played hard and clean, they brought a ton of energy, and they kept it close just about the whole way.

But as Brother JC has been pointing out for a couple of weeks now... we're just better. This year is our year. And now only Kansas provides an impediment to that Eighth Banner.

I was extra-proud of Darius Miller and the game he played against the Cards. I liked the steal/breakaway jam with the one hand raised, and he made a big three in the second half that took a little wind out of the dirty birds. Mostly, Darius just played a calm and steady game, and that was crucial considering how this semifinal had big streaks back and forth for each squad.

Kentucky of course had more streaks, and I thought early on that there was at least a slight chance that it could have turned into a laugher. Unfortunately, MKG's foul trouble put a damper on things, and I suppose Pitino's squad was simply not going to allow the UK lead to grow too far out of reach, even if that took a severe slowdown in pace. But I'm absolutely lovin' the hot start approach for UK, and would sincerely hope for a repeat Monday night against the J-turds.

If plaudits are something that Anthony Davis has any further need of, then I will also toss some his way. The youngster threw down a couple of crazy lob jams that finally brought out the best in those stupid CBS camera angles. Witness the Unibrow from 30 feet above court level! Now from behind the glass! We've also installed one in his refrigerator!

But Davis put up his standard double-double on the biggest stage of all, and he's spent the entire week collecting this or that trophy, from this or that voting group. I'm hoping tomorrow he REALLY settles any Player of the Year debate against Thomas Robinson. I don't know that they will personally face off much, but over 40 minutes there are bound to be a couple of moments where the long arms and quick hops of Mr. Davis will have a chance to shine.

Of course ultimately it's teams that wins games and championships, and collectively this squad has a mere two blemishes. They've come back to New Orleans looking to seal the deal on a stellar season. All year long, they've exhibited great poise and grit, and that's exactly what they will need against Kansas.

On, on U of K.

Back To The Big Easy

And speaking of easy...wow, the Cats just kinda rolled through that regional like my dad used to roll through the buffet at Ryan's Steakhouse. Talk about acting like you own the place. Make yourself at home, kids!

Western Kentucky: nothing to be ashamed of. Told my brother that had to be the most successful 16-win season anybody's ever had in Division I. Glad y'all made it.

Iowa State: probably had the single-best player that UK faced in this tournament run, and if you don't remember who I'm talking about, it rhymes with Boyce Kite. But no supporting cast, no problem for the Cats.

Indiana: keep the candy stripes in Bloomington. Thanks for trying to push the pace, Coach Crean. Backfire much?

Baylor: talented for sure, but offering little resistance for an Elite Eight squad. Kentucky absolutely out-toughed them.

So it's back-to-back Final Fours for Coach Cal, and he's done it with another young team, and let's face it... they're probably all going to be pretty young teams for Cal unless someone changes the one-and-done paradigm. Seems to be working out pretty good for Kentucky in year number three.

Big Blue looks like an absolute machine right now. One of those big rock-crushing machines, I guess. Or like a state of the art wood chipper that just shreds big logs and branches and stuff. I don't know, something powerful and masculine, but still precise. You know, not anything wimpy like a sewing machine....oh no, nothing like that.

Kentucky can run up and down, and they can win a slugfest too. And since we can now officially look forward to the Louisville showdown, if you don't think that's going to be a slugfest, you're crazy. I believe Rick Pitino would like to play this one with both teams wearing boxing gloves, except on a muddy track at Churchill Downs. Lots of fouls, I bet. Very physical.

But bring it on, I say. Kentucky is plenty tough, as I'm sure the Waco Bears will attest. And they're taking the show back to New Orleans.

Don't leave without the hardware, guys.

Going Out In Style

That's how you finish conference play.

Kentucky's 74-59 win over Florida capped off a simply wonderful regular season for the Cats, and a simply perfect conference season. The Gators of Gainesville did offer at least a modicum of resistance today, but the Big Blue juggernaut rolled on nonetheless. 16 swept without a loss. Makes up for football season every time.

Early on, it looked as if Terrence Jones might be able to defeat Florida all by his lonesome. Jones was muscling up shots to open the game with an extra-fierce determination, signifying this UK team's intent to close out SEC play without a blemish.

Steve Kerr (?) was gushing about TJ early on, and with good reason. (Anybody know why we had an NBA announcing crew working this game?) But the fact is, "good" Terrence clearly made the trip down from Lexington, and that was very bad news for Billy Donovan.

Jones is tough to handle for a lot of reasons, but he's such a strong dude going to the basket with a full head of steam, that most defenders are simply S.O.L. when he gets that clear path. He can also take considerable contact and still finish effectively, and his right hand has gotten so much better during his two years on campus.

And speaking of getting better, is it possible that Anthony Davis can show us yet another gear during post-season play? And what gear would that even be? Sixth? Seventh? That little hook shot would be just SO sick if he could break it out successfully and consistently. Unstoppable, even. Has Wiltjer been working with him on that move? (The three-pointers on the other hand: let's keep those in check please.)

But I should really spit out a few words about Darius Miller, who scored only six points today. The thing is, when UK really needed a bucket in the second half, Darius was the man to get it. And with him being the Cats' lone senior contributor (no offense, Eloy) it's got to be especially gratifying for the former Mr. Basketball to run the conference table.

Darius did have himself a great senior night against Georgia, with five three-pointers finding the twine last Thursday-- and all of the plaudits that he's gotten as his UK career winds down have been fairly earned. It's always nice when young men play their best basketball down the stretch, and you can tell that Mr. Miller has had more fun than ever this season, even though he's not playing 40 minutes a game. His contributions have not been at all meager, even amidst this stellar group of future NBA talents. Fact is that Miller has hit several clutch shots coming off the bench, and I expect several more as March plays out.

And quickly back to Eloy Vargas, in closing. Seems like a nice guy. Never really showed a whole lot, but you'd have to say that he does give plenty of effort. Any UK letterman gets my respect. I wish both him and Miller the absolute best of luck in the future. But when it comes down to it, perhaps Lucy Van Pelt would put it best: of all the Eloys in all the world, he's definitely the Eloyest.

GO CATS!

Michael Sophomore-Gilchrist

In regards to MKG's pronouncement that he intends to graduate from the University of Kentucky: I'm not exactly holding my breath.

Fact is, I believe "The Kidd" will be long gone by the time the draft rolls around this summer.

He's going to be projected top half of the first round-- and in that situation, I would advise anybody to take the money. That goes for Anthony Davis, Doron Lamb, The Kidd, or for that matter....one of my own kids.

You just about have to.

College is important. No question about that. Educating oneself is always a smart choice. It's one that I'm glad my parents encouraged, nay forced, me to undertake.

Book learnin': I'm a big believer.

But for a young man like MKG, a Wildcat that I am quite fond of, there's no mistaking that he has NBA-ready talent, and that his game should not have much trouble translating to the next level. He is not a finished product, and I would agree with the critics that point out the minor holes in his game. But they aren't gaping holes. Nothing that he can't work on while making some serious coin.

I figure that scouts and GMs would like to see Michael improve his outside shooting. And he could probably be a better ball-handler overall, although he's very tough in traffic... and hella strong getting to the rim. He's made his share of freshman turnovers and probably doesn't "bring it" as consistently on the offensive end as the NBA would like. (All things that I'm sure Coach Cal has him working on daily.)

But that doesn't change the fact that he's a sure-fire first rounder on just about everyone's board. It's an old cliche, but Michael's future career is professional basketball, not accounting or forestry. (I'm real big in the forestry set. What up y'all?)

Listen, I would love to see him back in the blue for a run at the 2013 championship. That goes for Teague, Wiltjer, every single one of those guys. Gillie's awesome and he can play on my team any old time he wants. But I'm not going to hold him to those post-game comments indicating that he would be a three or four-year player. I simply chalk that up to youthful exuberance.

I would absolutely love to be wrong about this. And as the man from Ashland pointed out...who really thought Terrence Jones would be back for another season? Stranger things have happened. But my gut tells me that MKG will be a "one and done"... so let's just hope that the "one" ends with something special... something that both he, and all of Big Blue Nation, will always cherish.

photo: Kentucky.com