Fans get their first look at this year’s young Wildcats squad tonight.
Associated Press
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Past glory and future uncertainty collide Friday night asKentucky opens its 1999-00 season with a “Team of the Century”-themedMidnight Madness.
The annual late-night practice, which gets the team on the floor at thefirst moment allowed under NCAA rules, will give the 9,000-plus fansexpected at Memorial Coliseum an advance peek at the baby-faced squad thatis to carry the Wildcats program into the next millennium.
Although the plans for Kentucky’s 18th annual Midnight Madness festivitieswere, as always, shrouded in secrecy, they were expected to include a fondlook back at a century of Kentucky basketball, from Game No. 1, a 15-6 lossto Georgetown (Ky.) College on Feb. 6, 1903, to Game No. 2,287, a 73-66 lossto Michigan State on March 21, in the Midwest Region final of the NCAAtournament.
Along the way, there have been seven national titles, a figure second onlyto UCLA’s 11. It is just about the only statistical category in which theWildcats cannot claim a century of superiority.
Kentucky’s 1,748 victories make it college basketball’s winningest programand the Wildcats’ 1,748-538-1 record gives them a winning percentage of.764, tops among all teams. The Wildcats also have made a record 40 NCAAtournament appearances.
Last season, Kentucky fell one game short of a fourth straight trip to theFinal Four.
Though the Wildcats struggled late in the regular season, losingfour of seven games in February, coach Tubby Smith had his teamready for the postseason, winning six straight SEC and NCAA tournament gamesbefore falling to Michigan State in the region final.
After the loss of seniors Wayne Turner, Scott Padgett and Heshimu Evans andthe defection via transfer of juniors Michael Bradley and Ryan Hogan, ayoung team returns for Smith’s third season.
Center Jamaal Magloire declared his intention to enter the NBA draft,attended some predraft camps, then pulled back, decidinginstead to return to Lexington. He and former walk-on Steve Masiello are theteam’s only seniors. The only returning junior is Saul Smith, the coach’sson, who is expected to succeed Turner at the point.
Three sophomores — forward Jules Camara and swingmen Tayshaun Prince andDesmond Allison — saw substantial playing time last season, while guardsTodd Tackett and J.P. Blevins were relegated to late-game duty.
Four newcomers will make their Kentucky debuts in Midnight Madness:
Junior forward Nate Knight, a transfer from Utah Valley State College andthe younger brother of NBA player Travis Knight.
Freshman guard Keith Bogans, a McDonald’s All-American from Maryland whois expected to contend for time at both guard positions.
Freshman forward Marvin Stone of Alabama, who at 6-foot-10, 265 pounds,should compete for playing time at power forward and center.
Freshman forward Marquis Estill of nearby Richmond, a partial academicqualifier who will practice but not play for the Wildcats this season.
