TENNESSEE STATE TIGERS (4-4, 1-1)
vs.
#7/6 KENTUCKY WILDCATS (10-3, 0-0)
Dec. 29, 1998
8:08 p.m. ET
Rupp Arena (23,000)
Lexington, Ky.
RADIO
UK Radio Network — 7 p.m. ET
WVLK 590 AM & 92.9 FM (flagship stations)
Ralph Hacker (play-by-play), Sam Bowie (analyst),
Dave Baker (host), Tom Leach (scoreboard)
TELEVISION
UK Television Network — 8 p.m. ET
Rob Bromley (play-by-play), Martin Newton
(analyst), Dick Gabriel (sideline)
Satellite Coordinates — SPS 6, Transponder 8
Kentucky Wildcats (10-3, 0-0)
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Ppg Rpg Hometown34 Scott Padgett F 6-9 240 Sr. 12.0 7.0 Louisville, Ky.14 Heshimu Evans F 6-6 215 Sr. 14.2 6.0 Bronx, N.Y.33 Michael Bradley C 6-10 235 So. 11.8 5.8 Worcester, Mass.5 Wayne Turner G 6-2 190 Sr. 11.2 *3.6 Boston, Mass.21 Tayshaun Prince G 6-8 217 Fr. 6.6 4.8 Compton, Calif.
Key Cats Off The Bench
32 Desmond Allison G/F 6-5 206 Fr. 3.0 1.1 Tampa, Fla.40 Jules Camara F/C 6-11 213 Fr. 5.1 3.6 Dakar, Senegal22 Ryan Hogan G 6-3 185 So. 3.5 1.1 Deerfield, Ill.42 Jamaal Magloire C 6-10 260 Jr. 3.9 3.5 Toronto, Ont.11 Saul Smith G 6-2 175 So. 4.5 2.5 Athens, Ga.
Tennessee State Tigers (4-4, 1-1)
21 Corey Williams F 6-7 210 Jr. 9.0 7.5 New Orleans, La.14 Leon Murray F 6-3 205 Jr. 4.5 2.8 Cincinnati, Ohio50 Julian Bankston C 6-10 255 Jr. 6.9 4.0 Hendersonville, TN12 Brian Williams G 6-0 180 Sr. 5.4 2.4 Detroit, Mich.24 Jamie Roberts G 6-3 190 So. 20.1 4.5 Albany, Ga. * Assists per game
Host Wildcats Face TSU In Final Non-Conference Game
In game No. 14 of a 30-game regular-season schedule, the KentuckyWildcats return home for the first time in more than two weeks to battleTennessee State. It’s the final non-conference game on the UK schedule thisseason. Kentucky opens Southeastern Conference play at home against Floridaon Saturday.
The Wildcats hope to battle back from two straight losses to Duke andLouisville, the first time UK has lost two games in a row since the 1994season, when Arkansas and Syracuse outscored the Cats on consecutiveoccassions.
Kentucky is completing a non-conference schedule that featured fiveranked opponents and nine of its last 11 games away from Rupp Arena. Theranked opponents were in the top 11 or higher of The Associated Pressweekly polls, including two teams, Maryland and Duke, that were rankedsecond at the time of the contest. The result? UK is 4-1 vs. ranked teamsthis season.
UK will play its next two games at home as well as three of its next five.
Tennessee State hasn’t played a game since Dec. 20, when it lost in thefinals of the University of New Orleans Christmas Classic to the hostschool, 55-48. Kentucky will be the Tigers’ second Southeastern Conferenceopponent this season. TSU opened the season with a 91-69 loss to Tennesseeon Nov. 15. Jamie Roberts, a 6-3 sophomore guard, has led the Tigers inscoring in all but one game this season, averaging 20.1 ppg.
UK-TSU Series
The two teams’ lone meeting occurred in the first round of the 1994 NCAATournament in St. Petersburg, Fla., where the Cats won, 83-70. Statebattled the Wildcats in the first half as both teams shot 29.6 percent fromthe field and UK led at the break, 25-24. But the Cats were too much forFrankie Allen’s team in the second 20 minutes, as Andre Riddick and RodrickRhodes tallied 22 points each to advance UK to the second round.
Coach Frankie Allen is 0-1 against Kentucky while Coach Tubby Smith hasnever coached against TSU.
Kentucky has lost only one game to an Ohio Valley Conference opponent in19 contests. Middle Tennessee picked up a 50-44 opening-round victory overUK in the 1982 NCAA Tournament.
Comparison Stats
UK TSURecord 10-3 4-4Scoring Off. 76.0 71.2Scoring Def. 63.6 69.0Scoring Margin +12.4 +2.2FG % 47.2 42.1Def. FG % 38.3 41.13FG % 26.5 33.6Def. 3FG % 26.6 29.0FT Pct. 62.6 59.2Reb. Avg. 43.0 43.9Opp. Reb. Avg. 34.2 35.1Rebound Margin +8.8 +8.8TO Avg. 16.2 17.5Opp. TO 16.3 16.4TO Margin +0.1 -1.1Blocks Avg. 5.7 3.3Steals Avg. 8.5 7.5
Coaching Comparisons
Orlando “Tubby” Smith (High Point ’73)
Overall (8th year) 169-69 (71.0%)at UK (2nd year) 45-7 (86.5%)NCAA Appearances (5) 12-4 (75.0%)vs. Tennessee State 0-0
Frankie Allen (Roanoke College ’71)
Overall (12th year) 156-168 (48.1%)at TSU (8th year) 100-107 (48.3%)vs. Kentucky 0-1
Rupp Arena
UK, in its 23rd season at Rupp Arena, has a 295-34 (89.7%) record in the23,000-seat, city-owned facility. The Wildcats need five victories to reach300. They have recorded seven perfect home seasons and three seasons withonly one loss. The building opened in 1976. The Wildcats, 4-0 at home, willplay 13 games at Rupp Arena during the 1998-99 season.
Injury Report
Starters Heshimu Evans and Tayshaun Prince are both listed as questionablefor the Tennessee State game. Both have been battling a stomach virus thisweek.
Turner Vision
Wayne Turner tied Tony Delk’s career record of 201 steals at Kentucky withhis two picks vs. Louisville last Saturday. Turner already holds the schoolmark for steals in a season with 79 during his sophomore year. The seniorhas 20 steals through the first 13 games this season.
Turner also is poised to become the first Wildcat to ever top 1,000points, 300 rebounds, 400 assists and 200 steals during a career. TheBoston native, who hopes to break the NCAA record this season for gamesplayed in a college career, has 928 points, 318 rebounds, 396 assists and201 steals. He has played in 127 games at UK, including three NCAAChampionship games. The school record is 143 games played by Jared Prickettand the NCAA mark is 148 games played by Christian Laettner.
Turner Ties Steals Record
Wayne Turner grabbed two steals vs. Louisville last Saturday to tie TonyDelk’s career steals record at UK. He also continued his assault on the UKassists list.
Note: Turner already holds the UK record for most steals in a season with79 in 1997.
UK’s All-Time Steals List
1. Tony Delk (1993-96) 2011. Wayne Turner (1996-99) 2013. Ed Davender (1985-88) 1914. Jared Prickett (1993-97) 1875. Anthony Epps (1994-97) 184
UK’s All-Time Assists List
1. Dirk Minniefield (1980-83) 6462. Anthony Epps (1994-97) 5443. Roger Harden (1983-86) 4984. Sean Woods (1989-92) 4825. Kyle Macy (1978-80) 4706. Ed Davender (1985-88) 4367. Travis Ford (1992-94) 4288. Wayne Turner (1996-99) 396
Most Games Before New Year’s
How long has UK’s pre-conference schedule been? The longest in schoolhistory. The Wildcats will play their 14th game of the season when theysuit up against Tennessee State. It’s the most games prior to Jan. 1 of anyUK team, outdoing the 13 games played last season.
The 1998-99 Wildcats will have a chance to equal the most wins everrecorded prior to New Year’s Day by a UK team. UK has won 11 on fourdifferent occassions — 1946-47 (11-1), 1979-80 (11-1), 1996-97 (11-1) and1997-98 (11-2).
Good Calendar Results
Along with winning the 1998 NCAA Championship last March, UK has recordeda 34-5 mark during the calendar year heading into the final game withTennessee State.
The superb record comes on the heels of a 35-7 record during calendar year’97 and a 36-2 mark in 96.
Tough Schedule
Playing arguably the toughest schedule in the country, seventh-rankedKentucky is 10-3 against competition that has included five rankedopponents. The Cats own wins over No. 10 UCLA, No. 7 Kansas, No. 11 Indianaand No. 2 Maryland, before the loss to No. 2 Duke.
Through Dec. 26, the 13 previous opponents on UK’s schedule owned acombined 72-30 (70.6%) record against teams other than the Wildcats.
Vs. Ranked Teams
Kentucky is 4-1 vs. ranked teams this season. The Duke loss snapped UK’sstreak of 11 consecutive wins over ranked opponents. The streak had begunFeb. 28, when UK beat No. 14 South Carolina, 69-57, in the regular-seasonfinale.
The Wildcats finished with a 12-2 slate against ranked opponents lastseason, 9-4 in 1997 and 10-2 in 1996.
Last Game
For the first time in five seasons, UK lost back-to-back games when itdropped an 83-74 decision to host Louisville last Saturday. It also was theWildcats’ second loss to the Cardinals in as many seasons.
The first half saw Louisville grab the early lead before a 10-0 run putthe Cats ahead 23-16. But the Cards fought back to take a 47-40 lead athalftime. UK cut the lead to four, 56-52, with 12:08 remaining but couldnever close the margin any further.
One of the nation’s top shooting teams from the field, Louisville hit 52.1percent from outside, the best percentage by a UK opponent all season. TheWildcats again won the battle of the boards, 34-33, but only hit 2-of-15attempts from beyond the three-point stripe. The Cardinals held UK’sleading scorer, Heshimu Evans, to eight points and forced point guard WayneTurner into six turnovers. U of L guard Cameron Murray had 14 points and 10assists to lead the Cards to their fifth win in seven outings.
Sagarin’s Rankings
Duke still leads the power rankings, according to Jeff Sagarin’s ratings.The Blue Devils have a 98.87 rating, followed by Auburn at 95.58. Kentuckyis eighth with a 90.50 rating and Tennessee State is rated 216th with a69.44 mark.
UK Trivia
When was the last time a UK opponent was held without a three-point fieldgoal? Answer appears later in this release…
Rebounding Kings
Kentucky has outrebounded every opponent this season. Even in the last twogames, both losses, the Wildcats won the battle of the backboards. AgainstDuke, UK held a commanding 45-36 advantage, and against U of L, the Catsoutrebounded the Cards 34-33, including 19 offensive rebounds.
UK, which finished second to Utah last season in rebound margin (8.2 rpg),is outrebounding opponents by 8.8 rpg.
The Cats’ most dominant performance in a game this season came at theexpense of Georgia Tech, where the Cats held a 53-32 advantage.
Rare Feats
The Wildcats’ offensive attack has been a strength for the Cats thisseason. UK has four players averaging double figures in scoring and sevenCats are averaging 3.0 rebounds per game or more.
The last time a UK squad had at least four players average double figuresin scoring was 1990-91 — the last team Tubby Smith served as a UKassistant coach. That season, five UK players accomplished the feat — JohnPelphrey (14.4 ppg), Reggie Hanson (14.4 ppg), Jamal Mashburn (12.9 ppg),Deron Feldhaus (10.8 ppg) and Richie Farmer (10.1 ppg). This year, HeshimuEvans (14.2 ppg), Scott Padgett (12.0 ppg), Michael Bradley (11.8 ppg) andWayne Turner (11.2 ppg) have a chance for the distinction.
Note: Only twice this season has the same player led UK in scoring inback-to-back games.
Road Streak Ends
Kentucky’s 14-game road winning streak came to a halt with its loss to Uof L on Saturday. The last team to defeat the Wildcats on the road wasSouth Carolina (Feb. 4, 1997).
Neutral Sites
Eight of the 13 Kentucky games this season have been played at neutralsites. After defeating Georgia Tech in the Georgia Dome last weekend, UK is10-0 all-time in the Dome. With the loss to Duke at the Meadowlands, UKdropped to 3-1 in the Continental Airlines Arena.
Tops Thru 50
Through the first 50 games of his UK tenure, Tubby Smith was thewinningest Wildcat coach, sporting a 45-5 (90.0%) record. Rupp was 43-7 inhis first 50 games at UK, Joe B. Hall began with a 32-18 slate, EddieSutton had a 41-9 mark and Rick Pitino started with a 31-19 record.
1998-99 Trends
8-0 When leading at halftime 1-0 When tied at halftime 1-3 When trailing at halftime 7-3 When UK scored first 3-0 When opponent scored first10-0 When leading with 5 minutes to play 0-3 When trailing with 5 minutes to play 0-0 When score tied with 5 minutes to play10-0 When leading with 2 minutes to play 0-3 When trailing with 2 minutes to play 0-0 When score tied with 2 minutes to play 0-0 In games decided by three points or less 3-1 In games decided by 4-10 points 0-0 When UK shoots 60% or better FG 4-0 When UK shoots 50% or better FG 6-3 When UK shoots less than 50% FG 1-1 When UK shoots less than 40% FG 5-0 When UK makes more 3FG 2-3 When opponent makes more 3FG 3-0 When 3FG made are the same10-3 When UK outrebounds opponent 0-0 When opponent outrebounds UK 0-0 When rebounds are the same 6-3 When playing on national TV 0-0 When playing on regional TV 4-1 When playing on the weekend 6-2 When playing on a weekday 1-0 When starting after 10 p.m. ET 1-1 When starting after 9 p.m. ET 6-0 When game starts between 7-9 p.m. 3-2 With an afternoon start 1-0 In overtime games 5-1 In November 5-2 In December 9-1 In home white uniforms 1-2 In away blue uniforms
Wildcats vs. Conferences
2-1 vs. ACC 1-0 vs. Big 10 2-0 vs. Big 12 1-1 vs. Big East 0-1 vs. C-USA 1-0 vs. Midwestern Collegiate 1-0 vs. Ohio Valley 1-0 vs. Pac-10 1-0 vs. Trans America
Record vs. Lineup
2-0 Padgett, Evans, Bradley, Smith, Turner 1-0 Padgett, Prince, Bradley, Smith, Masiello 7-3 Padgett, Evans, Bradley, Prince, Turner
Evans’ Stats
While Heshimu Evans leads the Cats in scoring, he’s also second on theteam in rebounding and assists. Evans averages 14.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 3.2 apg. Evans also has totaled 1,249 points and 595 rebounds in his four-yearcareer split between Manhattan College and Kentucky.
Next Game
UK begins Southeastern Conference play at home against Florida on Jan. 2at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Television Network byJefferson-Pilot Sports.
1,000-Point Race
Seniors Scott Padgett and Wayne Turner hope to join the prestigious44-member 1,000-point club at UK. Padgett has scored 941 points in hiscareer and Turner has posted 928 career points.
Cats Chase Kansas In Decade Wins
As of Dec. 27, the Wildcats had picked up two wins on Kansas in the chaseof the most wins in the 1990s. UK now trails the Jayhawks by seven victories.
Team Wins ('99) 1. Kansas 271 (8-3) 2. Kentucky 264 (10-3) 3. North Carolina 260 (12-2) 4. Arkansas 246 (9-2) 5. Duke 245 (11-1)
For the past eight seasons, UK has been the winningest basketball team inthe nation.
Team Wins ('99) 1. Kentucky 237 (10-3) 2. Kansas 213 (8-3) 3. North Carolina 209 (12-2)
Consider this: In the last three years, UK has averaged 34.7 wins per season.
Turner Chases NCAA Record
Senior guard Wayne Turner has a chance to play in more college basketballgames than anyone on record. Turner, who has logged time in 127 gamesduring his career, has a chance to break the mark of 148 games held byDuke’s Christian Laettner.
The Wildcats have a 30-game regular-season schedule and Turner must playin 35 games to claim the record. The Boston native has missed only one gameduring his UK career — the 1996 NCAA Championship game against Syracuse,when Anthony Epps played the entire 40 minutes at point guard — a streakof 92 consecutive games.
In addition, Turner hopes to become the first non-Duke player to play infour Final Fours. Bryan Davis (1989-92), Greg Koubek (1988-91) andChristian Laettner (1989-92) all participated in four Final Fours for theBlue Devils.
Double-Doubles
Scott Padgett tallied his ninth career double-double and his third ofthe season with 13 points and 10 rebounds vs. Duke. He registered 25 pointsand 13 rebounds vs. Maryland and tallied his first double-double of theseason with 21 points and 12 rebounds in the opener against EKU. Padgetthad five double-doubles last season and one as a sophomore.
Heshimu Evans recorded his first double-double of the season with 11points and 11 rebounds (eight offensive) against seventh-ranked Kansas inthe Great Eight. Evans has four double-doubles at UK and two at Manhattan.
Freshman Jules Camara registered his first double-double with 10 pointsand 11 rebounds in 23 minutes in the opener. He followed up the effort with15-points and eight rebounds against Mercer.
Consecutive Threes
The Cats have hit three-pointers in 347 consecutive games. The last timeUK was held without a three-point field goal was Nov. 26, 1988, a”three-point” loss to Seton Hall in the Great Alaska Shootout (63-60). UK’scurrent streak ranks fourth nationally. UNLV, Vanderbilt and Princeton havehad a three-pointer in every game since the rule was implemented in 1986-87.
AP Trivia
The Kentucky Wildcats have been ranked in The Associated Press collegebasketball poll every week since the second week of the 1990-91 season, aspan of 149 consecutive weeks.
UK has been ranked in the Top 10 by the AP in the last 80 weekly polls,dating back to Feb. 21, 1994, when the Wildcats fell to 11th after 34straight weeks in the top 10 that began in 1992.
SEC/NCAA Leaders
Last week, center Michael Bradley was second in the SoutheasternConference in field goal percentage, hitting 69.5 percent of his shots.Heshimu Evans was ninth in the league in scoring (14.8 ppg), seventh infield goal percentage (50.4%), ninth in free throw percentage (76.9%), andtied for eighth in offensive rebounds (3.0 orpg). Teammate Wayne Turner was10th in assists (3.5 apg), Jamaal Magloire was third in blocked shots (2.6bpg) and Scott Padgett was 12th in rebounding (6.9 rpg).
As a team, UK was first in the league in 3FG defense (26.1%), second inblocks (6.2 bpg) and second in assists (18.1 apg).
In the last NCAA stats dated Dec. 15, Magloire was 13th nationally inblocked shots averaging 3.0 bpg.
League and NCAA stats will not be updated again until next week.
“D” it Up
The Wildcats held opponents to 38.4 percent shooting last season, thelowest field goal percentage for UK opponents in 36 years, dating back to1962.
This season, UK is off to a similar start defensively. Through the first13 games, opponents have converted just 38.3 percent of their shotattempts. The Wildcats have held three teams under 30 percent shooting forthe game — Colorado (27.4%), Kansas (29.4%) and Georgia Tech (24.2%).
Smith’s Overtime Success
After the 70-61 win over Indiana, Kentucky is 3-0 in overtime games sinceTubby Smith took over as coach. Last season, the Wildcats earned overtimevictories over Arkansas, 80-77, and Stanford, 86-85. The Cats had lostseven of their last eight overtime games prior to the three-game win streak.
Overall, UK is 40-33 in overtime games, dating back to Feb. 12, 1907.
Tubby Smith is 11-3 in overtime games during his eight-year coachingcareer. He’s 3-0 at Kentucky, 2-1 at Georgia and 6-2 at Tulsa, whichincludes a 2-1 mark in double overtime. His one overtime loss at Georgiawas an 83-81 defeat to Syracuse in the 1996 NCAA Tournament and one of hisOT defeats at Tulsa came at the hands of top-ranked Arkansas in 1994.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
SEC Player of the Week II
Senior Heshimu Evans won his first SEC Player of the Week award for Dec.7-13 when he matched his UK career high with 22 points and nine reboundsagainst Indiana, propelling the Wildcats to an overtime win. He followedthe effort with a new personal-high 31 points and six boards in UK’s upsetof second-ranked Maryland. For the week, he averaged 26.5 points, 7.5rebounds and 3.0 assists. It was a rare two-week sweep of the league honorfor the Cats. Teammate Wayne Turner grabbed the honor the week before afterleading UK to wins over Kansas and Miami (Fla.).
SEC Player I
Kentucky’s Wayne Turner earned SEC Player of the Week recognition for Nov.30 – Dec. 6. The senior point guard from Boston led UK to a 63-45 upset ofNo. 7 Kansas with a team-high 14 points. He followed up with 13 points andfive assists against Miami. In the 51 minutes he played during the twogames, Turner had seven assists and only one turnover.
Cat Streak Ended
The UK loss to Pittsburgh last month ended the Wildcats’ 17-game winningstreak, the school’s 10th best streak overall. Kentucky’s streak began witha 79-54 win over Florida on Feb. 18, 1998. The loss to the Panthers alsoended UK’s 16-game win streak at neutral sites.
The Wildcats’ loss at Louisville ended UK’s 14-game win streak on the road.
Long November
UK played more games in November than ever before, finishing with a 5-1record. The 99 Wildcats also were the first UK team to win five gamesduring the month. Last season, the Wildcats played five games, and in 1989,they played four.
For the third consecutive year, UK lost a game in November whenPittsburgh defeated the Wildcats, 68-56, in the P.R. Shootout. And for the10th time in 11 seasons, the Wildcats lost one of their first five games ofthe season.
Caribbean Cats
While the Wildcats finished the Puerto Rico Shootout with a 2-1 record anda third-place trophy, the trip proved to be an adventure.
First, the Wildcats returned to Lexington from its Wright State game inCincinnati at 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 23. Six-and-one-half hours later(7 a.m. that day), the team departed for the Louisville airport and itstrek to the Caribbean.
UK caught a chartered 747 with 598 Big Blue fans, the same plane (AmericanAirlines) and the same pilot used in the filming of the movie Air Force One.
Upon arrival, the Wildcats headed to American University for practice.After sitting nearly 90 minutes in San Juan traffic, Coach Tubby Smithturned the bus around and headed for the team hotel, another one hourdrive, while canceling practice in the process. Oh, and one more thing…the team hotel was located nearly 90 minutes from the Puerto Rico Shootoutheadquarters.
Puerto Rico Shootout Results
First Round Kentucky def. Colorado 64-52 Maryland def. American-P.R. 82-32 Pittsburgh def. Xavier 94-76 UCLA def. San Francisco 69-62 Second Round Pittsburgh def. Kentucky 68-56 Xavier def. Colorado 74-61 Maryland def. UCLA 70-54 USF def. American U. 82-69
Final Round Colorado def. American U. (7th) 101-56 USF def. Xavier (5th) 82-69 Kentucky def. UCLA (3rd) 66-62 Maryland def. Pittsburgh (1st) 87-52
Season Openers
With its win over Eastern Kentucky, UK has won nine of its last 10season openers. The one loss was a 79-71 overtime defeat to Clemson on Nov.15, 1996 at the BCA Classic in Indianapolis.
UK began the season with its second earliest start in school history.The Clemson-UK game on Nov. 15, 1996 was the school’s earliest tipoff. TheCats also played Duke on Nov. 17, 1979, an 82-76 overtime loss in theTip-Off Classic in Springfield, Mass.
Anthony Leaves Team
Sophomore Myron Anthony quit the UK team on Dec. 3. The 6-7 forward fromJacksonville, Fla., had seen action in three games this season. He’sexpected to transfer following the end of the semester.
PRESEASON NOTES
UK Signs Four
Kentucky received four national letters of intent during the Novembersigning period. Keith Bogans of Hyattsville, Md., Marquis Estill ofRichmond, Ky., John Stewart of Indianapolis and Marvin Stone of Huntsville,Ala., all signed to play basketball for the Wildcats in 1999-2000.
Bogans, a 6-4 guard who averaged 19.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per gamelast season at DeMatha Catholic, is rated as one of the top guards in thenation by nearly every recruiting expert. He was a second-team All-Americanby Parade Magazine last season while leading DeMatha to a 34-1 record and aNo. 3 ranking nationwide. He picked Kentucky over Connecticut, Michigan andNorth Carolina.
Estill, a 6-9, 265-pound forward/center at Madison Central, played only 10games last season due to an injured left knee, but averaged 16.8 points and11.7 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, he led the state in shooting,canning 76.9 percent of his shots. He tallied 14.0 ppg and 7.7 rpg as theIndians advanced to the regionals with a 21-9 record. He chose UK overLouisville.
Stewart, a 7-0, 285-pound center from Lawrence North High School, averaged15.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game last season. He earnedAll-County honors and played on the Junior All-Star team last summer inIndiana.
Stone, a 6-9, 244-pound power forward, averaged 19.1 points, 12.7rebounds, 4.5 blocks and 3.0 assists last year in leading Grissom High to a25-5 record. He was named Class 6A Player of the Year in Alabama and athird-team Parade Magazine All-American. He chose the Cats over Alabama andAuburn.
White House Tour
The 1998 NCAA Champion Kentucky Wildcats toured the White House and metPresident Clinton on Mon., Nov. 9. Clinton honored the Wildcats and theTennessee Lady Vols on their respective 1998 titles in an East Roomceremony which was broadcast live on radio and TV across Kentucky.
Seniors Cameron Mills and Jeff Sheppard presented Clinton with a No. 1Kentucky jersey. “We gave you one of these back in 1996, and I never recallyou wearing it,” Mills said during the ceremony. “But I’m going to give youanother one in good faith that you’ll wear it.”
“Cameron,” Clinton responded, “for all you know, I slept in it.”
The ceremony concluded a day that began with lunch at Grevey’s, a popularrestaurant in Falls Church, Va., that’s owned by former UK All-AmericanKevin Grevey. From there, the Wildcats toured the Supreme Court beforetheir trip to the White House.
SEC Media Picks
UK was the favored squad to repeat as Southeastern Conference Champion andScott Padgett was selected to the five-man All-SEC team when voting wasconducted at SEC Media Days in early November.
The Cats received 17 of the 21 votes to repeat as league champion withTennessee earning three votes and Arkansas getting one.
Padgett was the Cats’ lone member of the All-SEC team. Wayne Turnerreceived one vote for preseason MVP, but was left off the All-SEC squad.
SEC Media Day Predictions
ChampionKentucky 17Tennessee 3Arkansas 1
Eastern Division Western DivisionKentucky (24) 159 Arkansas (25) 160Tennessee (3) 129 Auburn (1) 114South Carolina 96 Ole Miss (1) 108Georgia 92 Mississippi St. 69Florida 67 Alabama 63Vanderbilt 33 LSU 38
All-SECG – BJ McKie, South Carolina 27G – Tony Harris, Tennessee 12F – Jumaine Jones, Georgia 23F – Scott Padgett, Kentucky 21C – Tyrone Washington, Miss. State 16
MVPBJ McKie, South Carolina 16Jumaine Jones, Georgia 3Wayne Turner, Kentucky 1Tony Harris, Tennessee 1
UK Trivia Answer The last time UK held an opponent without a three-point field goal wasFeb. 9, 1997, when Villanova finished 0-3 from beyond the arc in a 93-56 UKwin at Lexington.
