Nov. 9, 2001
AIA Notes
EXHIBITION GAME IINov. 11, 20012 p.m. ETRupp Arena (23,000)Lexington, Ky.
UK RADIO NETWORK90+ stations: Tom Leach, Mike Pratt and Dave Baker.
TELEVISIONUKTV Network (Delayed): Rob Bromley, Martin Newton and Dick Gabriel.
Probable StartersWILDCATSNo. NamePos.Ht.Wt.Cl.*Ppg*RpgHometownLast Game21Tayshaun PrinceF6-9215Jr.16.96.5Compton, Calif.15 Pts., 8 Rbs., 23 Mins.24Marvin StoneF-C6-10253Jr.6.04.6Huntsville, Ala.10 Pts., 3 Rbs., 18 Mins.4Gerald FitchG6-3185Fr.6.84.4Macon, Ga.9 Pts., 4 Rbs., 21 Mins.10Keith BogansG6-5205So.17.04.6Alexandria, Va.19 Pts., 2 Asts., 22 Mins.3J.P. BlevinsG6-2181Sr.2.8**0.6Edmonton, Ky.12 Pts., 4 Asts., 31 Mins.
* Statistics are final from ’01 — **Assists
Wildcats Close Exhibition Play with AIA
The Kentucky Wildcats will play their second and final exhibition game on Sunday against Athletes in Action at 2 p.m. before officially opening the season against Western Kentucky in the NABC Classic in Rupp Arena, Nov. 15. Kentucky won its first exhibition game against Nike Elite, 107-80, on Tuesday, Nov. 6.Six Wildcats scored in double figures against Nike Elite, highlighted by Keith Bogans’ 19 points. Freshman Chuck Hayes made a memorable debut in Rupp Arena, scoring 12 points and pulling down 13 boards for a double-double.Freshman Rashaad Carruth, who sat out against Nike while serving a one-game suspension, could see his first action in Rupp Arena against AIA. However, the guard is recovering from an ankle sprain and could be held out until UK’s season opener. Fellow freshman Adam Chiles also was suspended from the Nike Elite game, but could be held out from this game should a decision be made to redshirt the Louisville native.
Tickets Available
Tickets remain for the Athletes in Action exhibition. The upper arena seats are $17 each and can be purchased at the Memorial Coliseum ticket office (M-F, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.). Marshall returned 500 tickets to the NABC Classic which also are on sale at the Memorial Coliseum ticket office. Tickets for the two-day tournament are $58 each. All tickets can be charged by calling 800-928-CATS or 859-257-1818 or at ukathletics.com.
Face Lift
Fans attending UK’s exhibition game will recognize changes at floor level. In addition to the new floor that was purchased last summer, courtside fan seating has been added as well. Currently, 12 new “scholarship seats” have displaced some traditional media seating and been installed across from the UK bench while eight have been added across from the visitor’s bench. The 22 seats, two of which were sold at Tuesday’s exhibition game, were sold for $313,000 a pair and the revenue generated will go to endow all 13 men’s basketball scholarships. There are still three pairs remaining to be sold.Kentucky celebrated its 25th season in the first built-for-basketball arena last year, playing for a quarter of a century on the original floor. Pieces of the original floor were auctioned off prior to the charity game, “A Night of True Champions,” on Aug. 11, raising more than $38,000. The money was split between the UK Basketball Museum, the KHSAA and the Lexington Civic Center for the purchase of the new floor.The new floor was designed by UK in conjunction with Lexington Civic Center officials. It was constructed by Robbins, Inc., in Cincinnati, Ohio at a cost of $125,000.
Athletes In Action Roster
14Josh Hall (G, 6-2)Warner Southern15David Daniels (G, 5-10)Colo. Christian24Damian Long (G, 6-1)Harvard32John Woods (G, 6-0)Missouri33Ronnie Grandison (F, 6-8)New Orleans40David Fisher (C, 6-10)Colorado St.42Derek Grimm (F, 6-9)Missouri44Jason Jenkins (F, 6-8)Valparaiso51Eric Dunn (F, 6-7)Oregon52Kendrick Spruel (F, 6-9)Louisiana Tech55Alvin Robinson (C, 6-9)Loyola-Chicago
Athletes In Action Tour
Lexington is the 11th of 14 stops on the AIA tour. The squad opened play on Oct. 24 at Mt. Vernon Nazarene. The team has already played one game in the Bluegrass State, an Oct. 27 date with Kentucky Christian College in Grayson.The schedule:
Oct. 24Mt. Vernon Naz.W, 99-93Oct. 27Ky. ChristianW, 108-95Oct. 31Air ForceL, 76-78 OTNov. 1AlabamaL, 77-103Nov. 3BradleyW, 90-87Nov. 4IndianaL, 59-105Nov. 5Wright St.L, 58-96Nov. 6StanfordL, 81-100Nov. 8Oregon St.W, 78-70Nov. 10Colorado St.Nov. 11KentuckyNov. 12Wisconsin-Green BayNov. 13WisconsinNov. 14Dayton
AP Names Prince All-American
Senior forward Tayshaun Prince added yet another honor to his resume on Tuesday, as he was named to the The Associated Press Preseason All-America team, the only senior on the list.Prince joined Duke’s Jason Williams, Stanford’s Casey Jacobsen, Missouri’s Kareem Rush and Illinois’ Frank Williams.Prince has already been named first-team Preseason All-America by collegeinsider.com, Athlon Sports, Blue Ribbon Basketball, The Sporting News and Basketball News.He was a second-team selection by AP last season.
Production Returning
Kentucky lost one senior from last year, returning 12 lettermen and four starters from a team that finished as Co-Champions of the Southeastern Conference and won the league tournament. With the loss of Jason Parker for the season, the numbers change to three returning starters. The statistics below reflect the returning production, excluding Parker:Points80.6%
Rebounds82.4%
Assists71.4%
Blocks83.4%
Steals72.1%
Last Time Out
Kentucky used 55.5% shooting from the field to earn its first exhibition win, 107-80, over Nike Elite on Tuesday. Keith Bogans led six Wildcats in double figures, while Chuck Hayes recorded UK’s only double-double with 12 points and 13 boards.Kentucky also shot 37.5% from behind the arc, highlighted by a 5-for-8 performance by Bogans.
The Walking Wounded
The Wildcats have their deepest roster in more than a decade but continue to fight injuries with the season opener less than a week away.Guard Gerald Fitch suffered a small fracture to the nose during the exhibition opener on Nov. 6, but is probable for UK’s game with Athletes in Action.Rashaad Carruth suffered an ankle sprain in practice last week and is questionable for Sunday, while Marquis Estill continues to battle back spasms and also is questionable for AIA.
Conference Supremacy
Kentucky was picked to finish first in the SEC by a media vote at the conference’s annual media day on Nov. 1.Forward Tayshaun Prince was also predicted to repeat as SEC Player of the Year, while he and Bogans both were named first-team Preseason All-SEC.Men’s Basketball Predictions
CHAMPION - Kentucky (20), Florida (3).
Eastern Division1. Kentucky (20)262. Florida (3)433. Tennessee764. South Carolina985. Georgia1056. Vanderbilt123
Western Division1. Alabama (15)332. Arkansas (5)603. Ole Miss (2)664. Auburn (1)785. LSU1216. Mississippi State125
All-SEC First TeamG – Brett Nelson, Florida17G – Keith Bogans, Kentucky15C – Udonis Haslem, Florida22F – Tayshaun Prince, Kentucky22G/F – Rod Grizzard, Alabama11
Preseason Rankings
With hype surrounding the return of Tayshaun Prince and Keith Bogans to the UK roster, the Cats find themselves ranked in the top-five in most preseason polls. The Cats were ranked fourth in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll. It’s the highest preseason ranking for the Wildcats since the Nov. 97 poll which also saw them ranked fourth.
The Sporting News1. Illinois2. Duke3. Maryland4. Florida5. Kentucky6. UCLA7. Kansas8. St. Joseph's9. Missouri10. Memphis
Basketball NewsPlayboy1. Duke1. Duke2. Kentucky2. Kentucky3. Maryland3. Illinois4. Florida4. Maryland5. UCLA5. UCLA6. Illinois6. Missouri7. Kansas7. Iowa8. Missouri8. Florida9. Boston College9. Kansas10. Syracuse10. Virginia
Lindy’sESPN.com1.Duke1. Duke2. Kentucky2. Maryland3. Maryland3. Florida4. UCLA4. Kentucky5. Florida5. Kansas6. Illinois6. Illinois7. Missouri7. UCLA8. Boston College8. Missouri9. St. Joseph’s9. St. Joseph’s10. Virginia10. Memphis
Blue Ribbon BasketballESPN Fan Poll1. Duke1. Maryland2. Illinois2. Duke3. Kentucky3. Kentucky4. Maryland4. Florida5. Florida5. Illinois6. UCLA6. Kansas7. Missouri7. UCLA8. Kansas8. Missouri9. Virginia9. St. Joseph’s10. Iowa10. Iowa
Prince, Bogans on Wooden List
Tayshaun Prince and Keith Bogans were both named to the preseason Wooden Award Candidate list for 2001-02.Only 50 college basketball players make the prestigious list, which culminates in the presentation of the Wooden Award for the nation’s best collegiate basketball player each April.The award was started in 1976 and has seen past winners that include Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Tim Duncan. No Kentucky Wildcat has ever claimed the prestigious honor, however.
Records Watch
Junior Keith Bogans enters the 2002 season just 12 points shy of becoming the 49th member of UK’s 1,000-point club.Bogans finished the 2001 season with 988 career points after averaging a team-high 17.0 ppg.He’ll join current teammate Tayshaun Prince on the list. Prince scored his 1,000th point at Tennessee last season and currently ranks 31st in scoring at UK with 1,215 points.
Blue-White Scrimmage
The Cats shot a combined 51.9% from the field as the team held its annual intrasquad scrimmage on Oct. 27 at Memorial Coliseum.Gerald Fitch led all players with a double-double — 31 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 accuracy from behind the arc, and 14 rebounds. Keith Bogans finished with 25 points and Tayshaun Prince added 20.
Smith Rejoins Staff
Leon Smith, the former special assistant to Coach Tubby Smith in 1998 and ’99, has returned to the staff as Kentucky’s Director of Basketball Operations. In his new role, his duties will include managing Coach Smith’s schedule, team travel, staff liaison with the academic center and office supervisor while assisting with on-campus recruiting.Leon Smith spent the past two years as an Assistant Director of Championships for the National Collegiate Athletic Association, overseeing management of championship golf, baseball, fencing, soccer and volleyball. Prior to joining the NCAA staff, he worked one year for USA Basketball, serving as the assistant director for men’s programs. Duties included handling squad travel and arrangements for various collegiate and high school teams that were selected by USA Basketball to compete internationally.The Louisville native lettered three seasons as a wide receiver for the UK football team (1993-95). He saw action in 24 games, catching 31 passes for 424 yards and two touchdowns. His best season was his junior year when he led the team in receiving with 27 catches for 375 yards.He was honored with numerous awards, including the CFA and SEC Good Work’s Team honors. At Trinity High School, he participated during the team’s state-record 50 consecutive victories including three Class 4A State Championships during his career.
Cawood Passes
The legendary Cawood Ledford, the Voice of the Wildcats for 39 years, died in September at age 75.Ledford, a native of Harlan, retired from the microphone following the 1992 season. He began calling the action in 1953. UK plans to honor the member of the National Basketball Hall of Fame at the Louisville game, Dec. 29.
Their Old Kentucky Home
This season’s roster boasts six products from the Bluegrass State, the most since the 1991 season.J.P. Blevins (Edmonton), Marquis Estill (Richmond), Cory Sears (Corbin), Matt Heissenbuttel (Lexington), Josh Carrier (Bowling Green) and Adam Chiles (Louisville) all hail from within the state’s borders.In ’91, Reggie Hanson, Richie Farmer, John Pelphrey, Deron Feldhaus, Michael Parks and Todd Bearup all came from Kentucky. Much like Sears and Heissenbuttel, Parks and Bearup were both walk-ons 11 seasons ago.
Parker Injury
Jason Parker underwent his second ACL surgery on his right knee in four months when he had a patella tendon autograft performed by team physicians Darren Johnson and Scott Mair on Nov. 1. Parker injured the knee June 24 in a pickup basketball game and had his initial surgery July 2. He retore the ligament prior to introductions for Big Blue Madness on Oct. 12.Parker will miss the 2001-02 season as a redshirt. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Three Mania
Kentucky’s streak of hitting a three in consecutive games sits at 441 games, the second-longest among teams who have failed to make a three in every game since the rule was adopted in 1987.Overall, it’s the nation’s fourth-longest streak, trailing UNLV, Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech. UNLV, Vanderbilt and Princeton have hit a three-pointer in every game since the rule was adopted. The Wildcats’ last game without a three-pointer came against Seton Hall on Nov. 26, 1988, a “three-point” loss in the Great Alaska Shootout.BIG BLUE MANIA
Keightley Enters 41st Season
Kentucky equipment manager Bill Keightley enters his 41st season in the UK program. The beloved Mr. Wildcat has served UK since 1961-62, watching the Cats roll to a 944-289 record during that era.Keightley, who has a jersey retired in the rafters of Rupp Arena, has worked under five different head coaches at UK — Rupp, Hall, Sutton, Pitino and Smith.
Wiggins Keeps on Coming
Big Blue fan Bob Wiggins continues his amazing streak of following the basketball Cats. Wiggins, who is retired and lives in Falmouth, Ky., saw 615 consecutive games — home and away — from 1977 until he suffered a heart attack just before the 1996 Great Alaska Shootout. It’s the second-longest streak on record at UK.The illness forced him to miss four games, but he has since returned to see every contest in person, a streak of 177 games.Meanwhile, his home court streak is still intact. Wiggins has not missed a home game in 40 years, a streak spanning 575 games. During that period, which dates back to 1960-61, UK has a home record of 512-63.In all, he’s in his 48th season watching the Cats in person and through his own record keeping, has attended 1,191 UK games.
UK No. 2 with Most NBA Players
To start the 2001-02 NBA season, the following Wildcats were active:
Derek AndersonPortlandTony DelkPhoenixWalter McCartyBostonJamaal MagloireCharlotteJamal MashburnCharlotteRon MercerChicagoNazr MohammedAtlantaScott PadgettUtahMark PopeMilwaukeeAntoine WalkerBoston
In addition, former UK assistant coach Jim O’Brien is the head coach of the Boston Celtics while the Cats’ all-time leading scorer Dan Issel coaches the Denver Nuggets and former UK All-American Pat Riley coaches the Miami Heat.
— Go Cats —
